It's Too Bad
by ChelleLew
Summary: Dolph Ziggler meets a fan who makes an impression on him after she returns from vacation abroad. He has to find her, but is hampered but a friend's fun with the name-game and Dolph's injury the following night. Their romance is further hampered by a series of misunderstandings and her job. As Dolph and Shannon's story unfolds, so do the romances of their friends. ON HIATUS
1. It's Too Bad It's the Wrong Name

**This story begins on January 5, 2014.  
****Any characters that you recognize as intellectual property of the WWE obviously do not belong to me. The plot, however, is a creation from my imagination. Scary, isn't it?**

* * *

"I can't believe that we actually spent Christmas and New Year's traveling around Europe!" Sarah Fuller smiled tiredly as the two friends headed towards baggage claim.

Sarah's dark haired friend agreed. "We deserved the time off. It was great to hang out with Sam and Torrie in their respective home countries. WooWoo; fun, fast-paced, and exhausting. Those women sure know how to explore and party!" Arriving at the luggage belt, the women were nearly leaning on each other as they waited for anything to begin moving. "It's already January 5th. Do you believe it? I am really happy I took off work for a couple more days."

"That was so wise! I have to go back on Tuesday." Sarah said through a yawn. "Do you think we can find a hotel room this late?" Looking at her friend stretching and yawning, she said, "Yep, we'd better try. Neither one of us is fit to drive."

It only took the women another hour to get their luggage and find a cab. It was another 45 minutes before the cab could take them from BWI airport to the hotel in Baltimore where Sarah had found a room. The taxi pulled up to the curb and dropped the friends off. "So sorry. Too much traffic; you get out here. You pay me $17.75 for ride. I not have change. You pay." the driver said. They handed him a twenty and hauled their bags across the sidewalk, through the drop-off area, dodged the in-coming cars, and walked through the lobby doors. They joined the ever-growing line of people waiting to check-in.

"Do you believe that this many people want to check-in at 2:30 in the morning? We aren't the only nuts around." Sarah muttered.

Someone attempted to smother a soft chuckle behind the second woman. Catching a glimpse of the man from the corner of her eye, she faced forward and held her breath. There was no mistaking the piercing blue eyes and the square-cut jaw. Maybe he had his distinctive hair hidden under a non-descript stocking cap, but she knew exactly who was behind her. Sarah took a step forward. So did she. When the man behind her moved forward, he made sure he was in her personal space…able to speak to her without being overheard by her friend. "So your friend thinks only nuts are out at 2:30 in the morning? I guess this isn't a usual occurrence for the two of you?" She shook her head no. "Are you really this shy?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you so nervous?"

"There are so many of you and you are all so big." she whispered. She turned, looking at him over her shoulder. "Sarah and I are fans. Pretty big fans, actually. We are just exhausted from a long trip. And if you all are here that might mean all of the rooms…"

"I'm sure there are still rooms." he said with a kind smile, now noticing the shadows beginning to form under her eyes – not that he would ever admit it to her. They moved forward again. "Are you coming to Raw tomorrow, I mean tonight?" She shook her head no. "Why not? If you are such big fans?"

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at him for a moment before answering. "We just got back in the country from a long vacation. Stopping here was a spur-of-the-moment thing before we separate and go back to our respective lives. Like I said, we are exhausted. Vacation is over and funds are low. Such is life." A tired smile blossomed on her face. "But the fun we had!" It was finally the women's turn to check in, so she went to the desk with her friend. He stood there feeling gut-punched by her smile.

Not at all ashamed, he eavesdropped on their room number. If the only way to see her again was to send them tickets to Raw himself, that's what he would do. He just needed a name. As the women headed for the elevators, he saw her look back at him. He hid his smile by facing the receptionist and getting his own room key. He thought to himself, _Maybe this instant attraction was two-sided? There was hope._

Across the lobby, he could hear Sarah's voice clearly call "Come on, Mildred! I am ready to sleep."

_Mildred? Who is named Mildred now-a-days? And if an adult woman has that name, why wouldn't she change it? _he thought.

In the elevator, Sarah was getting an earful. "Seriously, Sarah?! You had to call me **Mildred**?"

"That is your name, isn't it?" Sarah said through a yawn.

"Dammit, woman. I thought you were my friend. Did you not see that cute hunk of manliness talking to me? Now he thinks people call me Mildred. By all that is good and holy, woman!" She was grinding her teeth together and gripping her suitcase handles until her knuckles turned white.

"Sheesh. Sorry, Shannon. If I see him again I'll let him know that you despise your first name and only use your middle name. I'll even say you eviscerate anyone who calls you Mildred. I've got the scars to prove it. Now can we go to the room and sleep?" Sarah snapped as she yawned again.

The elevator doors opened and the two very tired women nearly crawled down the hall to their door. "Like he would even care anyway." Shannon murmured as they opened the door. They dumped their suitcases on the floor, brushed their teeth and barely landed on the beds before they were asleep. Shannon's dreams were filled with pearly white teeth, bright blue eyes, perfectly formed l'il ears, that strong square jaw, and dark roots topped with platinum blonde streaks. And he was calling her Mildred.


	2. It's Too Bad Morning Comes Early

January 6th dawned like any other day for the WWE wrestlers. They went about their normal routines, working out, eating, doing interviews and other media events, socializing with each other, and enjoying a little down-time before check-out. For a certain superstar, his morning began with a stop at another hotel room to slide an envelope under the door. In the wee hours of the morning, he had contacted the powers-that-be and asked for two tickets to Raw in the family and friends section. While the show wasn't sold out, the good seats were gone. He wanted two good seats because he needed to impress a woman. _Maybe…possibly…Who knew what the new year would bring? Maybe Mildred would be "it", although that name would be rather difficult to get used to _he thought as he walked down the hall.

* * *

Shannon woke up and moved around the room quietly, trying not to wake Sarah from her slumber. She was able to get her bags into the bathroom and get a shower without making too much noise. Coming back into the room satisfied that she had been a respectful friend, Shannon was ready to head down to breakfast. She wavered, _Do I wake Sarah up so we can go together or let her sleep since she has several more hours to travel before she gets home? _As this thought crossed her mind, a glimpse of white caught her eye. Turning her head, she saw an envelope on the floor near the door. When she picked it up and flipped it over she bit her lips.

FOR MILDRED AND SARAH

Setting the envelope carefully on the end of her bed, Shannon picked up a pillow with both hands and began to slog away on her friend. "You…Had…To…Say…MILDRED! You B*tch!"

Sarah tried to roll away to escape, screeching. "What is WRONG with you?"

"You…Told…Him…My…Name…Was…Mildred!" Shannon continued to wallop her friend with the pillow.

Sarah finally made it to the other side of the bed and held up her hands. "I never told **_anyone_** **_anything_**. I called for you to get a move on so we could get to our room. If he overheard that wasn't my problem or my fault." Easing to the foot of the bed, she asked, "What was in the envelope?"

Shannon whirled around and grabbed the envelope, carefully opening it. "Oh my! Oh, Oh my!"

"What?!"

"We are going to Raw!" Shannon squealed.

A huge smile quickly bloomed on Sarah's face before it fell. "But I am leaving in two hours. I have to be at work tomorrow morning."

Shannon waved the tickets in front of Sarah's face. "These tickets are in the friends and family section. **Friends and Family**, Sarah! Right behind the announce table! You are really going to miss this?"

Sarah was already dialing her phone. "Hey, I need to take off another two days. Yeah, flight issues. Sorry!" Dropping her phone on her bed, Sarah danced around the room shrieking. Shannon tucked the tickets into her purse and ran for the door.

* * *

Shannon sat at a restaurant perusing the menu trying to figure out what to order for lunch. It wasn't too long before she heard, "Mind if I join you?" She looked up into a pair of beautiful blue eyes and nodded her head. "Yes you mind or yes I can join you?"

With a giggle, she gestured to the opposite chair and said "Please, join me."

He grasped her hand and kissed the back of it. "Hi. I'm Nick. You know me as Dolph. It's a pleasure to meet you…"

She cut him off and said, "I like to be called by my middle name, Shannon. My dear friend was trying to be funny last night. People come to bodily harm when they call me 'that name', just for future reference."

A large, toothy smile split his face. "I am in big trouble then! I put that name in writing!" The two conversed easily, laughing as they ate and talked. Eventually he looked at his watch and said regretfully, "I have to get ready to go to the arena. Promise that I will see you after the show." Securing her word that she would come backstage, he kissed her forehead before heading on his way.


	3. It's Too Bad He's Playing the Name Game

**You know I have to start the drama...**

**In case you don't remember, this chapter is based on real events that occurred on January 6th in Baltimore. I (of course) am twisting them for my sadistic pleasure. This chapter also begins to explain why the O/C has two names...**

* * *

Sarah and Shannon arrived at the Baltimore Arena, passes in hand, well before the show started. Shannon knew that the talent had already arrived and they were preparing for the night. She was excited to see Nick and thought he would be excited to see her again. To her surprise, her phone began to ring. "Hey, just wanted to make sure you were still coming tonight." he said sheepishly. "I guess I might have mentioned you a couple of times to a friend of mine and now she wants to meet you."

"Seriously? AJ Lee wants to meet me?" Shannon whispered.

"Um, well April Mendez wants to meet you and she plays AJ. Why are you whispering? Are you in a bathroom?" he asked.

"That's the first thing you think of? That I am on the phone in a bathroom?" Shannon muttered, almost incredulous. "I don't think I'll be calling you. I'll stick with texting. Gross…"

He huffed and Shannon could see him rolling his beautiful blue eyes. "Touché. So, where are you?"

"We are outside the arena, waiting for the doors to open. Ya know, just a little excited about tonight!" she laughed.

"Cool! Which entrance?" he asked.

A short time later, Sarah and Shannon were backstage with Nick and April, chatting and eating in catering. The women managed to hide their fan-girl moments and act like this was no big deal, maintaining their cool no matter who approached. It wasn't until they made their way to their seats that they clasped hands and squealed quietly, mindful of the announcers that were just a few feet away. "Do you believe that **_we_** were just backstage in catering at Raw with the superstars?!"

"I know! He wants me to meet him after the show, too." Shannon looked a little nervous. "I just don't know. With his reputation with women…"

"Damn, girl! You gotta! Who knows what's real and what's b*tchy made-up gossip. Just go." Sarah encouraged.

At that point the house lights went off and the pre-match was announced. Dolph Ziggler and Ryback were going to face each other in a match that would be recorded for Superstars. "I didn't know he would be wrestling so soon." Shannon sighed. "GO DOLPHY!" she screamed. From the ring she could see his head turn slightly and a grin start to form on his face. He mouthed "Dolphy?" in her direction as if he couldn't believe she had yelled that. It encouraged her to yell it again and even more loudly, "**GO GET 'EM DOLPHY!**" Once the match began, Shannon stuck to clapping and cheering, but not shouting anything that he could hear.

Four minutes into the match, Shannon gasped. She saw Ryback's forearm collide with Dolph Ziggler's forehead. Dolph rolled out of the ring and onto the floor. From her seat, Shannon could see him blinking madly. Concerned, she held her breath as he got back into the ring. "He has to be okay, right? Right, Sarah? He wouldn't be continuing the match if something was wrong. They wouldn't let him, would they?"

Sarah put her hand on Shannon's shoulder but didn't say a word. As a nurse, she knew the signs of a concussion and was watching the match closely. These men were trained professionals. They could do this on autopilot, it would be so hard to pick up. She observed and wondered, not commenting but growing more concerned as time passed. Dolph just didn't look right.

Finally the ten minute match ended and the wrestlers went into the back. Shannon and Sarah sat on their chairs. "Do I go back there or wait here? It's not like we are….."

"They haven't checked him out yet. Give them a little time. If he hasn't called then go back." Sarah advised.

Sure enough, 15 minutes later, Shannon received a text from an unknown number. "Could you come back here? Need a little help. AJ" Sarah told her to go so Shannon took off.

* * *

Shannon knew she was getting close to the WWE infirmary when she heard the singing.

"Dolphy!  
Dolphy, Dolphy bo Bolphy Bonana fanna fo Folphy  
Fee fy mo Molphy, Dolphy!

Milly!  
Milly, Milly bo Billy Bonana fanna fo Filly  
Fee fy mo Milly, Milly!"

Pushing open the door, she saw him laying on a cot with a compress over his forehead and eyes. His feet were tapping away on the mattress and his fingers were keeping the rhythm on his hip. AJ touched her wrist. "He has a concussion. He's out of it. This isn't him." she said quietly.

"Is that April?" he asked before launching into another verse.

"April!  
April, April bo Bapril Bonana fanna fo Fapril  
Fee fy mo Mapril, April!"

Then he said, "I really want to see Mildred. She's so cute. Her little button nose…her brownish-green eyes that I just can't figure out the color of…her short brown hair…it's just that damn name. I gotta do something about her name." His voice began to take on that sing-songy quality again. "The Name Game…" and then he repeated his verse about Milly. Shannon tried to cut him off after that verse by taking his hand, but he pulled away. "I want Mildred!" She shook her head and tried again with the same results. "Mildred…Milly…Do you know what rhymes with Milly?" He rolled his shoulders and sighed. "hilly, frilly, tilly, really, silly, grilly, willy-nilly, lilly, chili, Achille – all words that rhyme with Milly." Shannon was starting to worry about Nick's weird behavior, so she left the room and came back in, with AJ announcing that Mildred was there. He looked at Shannon and teared up. "There you are! Do you know words that rhyme with Dolphy?"

Shannon sat back down beside him and held his hand. "Coffee. Something delicious to drink in the morning. Toffee, a candy delicious to eat that ruins your teeth."

"More." he yawned.

"Goals so lofty. You have very lofty goals, Dolph. You will achieve them." Shannon said quietly.

Nick sat up suddenly. He wobbled and held on to the cot. "Softy rhymes with Dolphy. Everyone thinks I'm a softy because of my head."

"That's not true, Dolph! You can't think like that." Shannon said.

The doctor put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't try to reason with him. The concussion is leading to confusion and disorientation. While this is hard on you, he doesn't really understand and probably won't remember any of this." He turned to AJ. "Will you keep an eye on him like last time? I have an appointment scheduled for him in Pittsburg with a neuropsychologist tomorrow to see the extent of this concussion. We can't make any other determination until we hear from him."

"Shannon and I will look after him. We'll get him to Pittsburg, won't we Shannon?" AJ volunteered.

"Um, sure." Shannon said. "I just need to swing by the hotel and pick up my stuff. And I need to let my friend know that I am ditching her."

Shannon texted Sarah and let her know the latest. Sarah replied, "Let me know what's going on. "I'm not leaving until Wednesday."


	4. It's Too Bad There's a Snake

Sarah watched the rest of Old School Raw by herself. She took as many pictures as she could so her friend wouldn't miss the highlights of the night, like The Shield appearing in Piper's Pit. Dean Ambrose played the lunatic so well! At one point, Sarah thought that she caught his eye, but that wasn't possible…was it? _Nah_ she thought. The main event of the night had Roman Reigns beating C.M. Punk. Sarah's cheers turned to screams as Dean ended up in the ring with Jake the Snake Roberts. Dean lay sprawled in the ring, his face turned in her direction, his eyes closed and a tiny smirk on his face as Jake stood over him with The Bag. When Damien slithered onto his chest, Sarah's screams turned quite piercing. She continued to snap pictures as the snake moved closer to Dean's head.

Once the show was over, Dean crawled from the ring and Sarah saw tiny pieces of snake skin hanging from his form-fitted shirt. A tremor ran through her at the thought of a snake that size touching her body. As she raised her gaze she found Dean's eyes on hers. He had the nerve to laugh at her reaction. He held out his hand and pulled her over the wall and pulled her towards the back. "I saw you before the show. Who ya here with?" he asked as they cleared gorilla position.

"Dolph Ziggler and Shannon but I think they were getting ready to leave." she said.

"They left about an hour ago with AJ. He's got a concussion and is quite a handful for those two women." Dean wiggled his eyebrows at Sarah. "I guess that means you need a ride."

Sarah raised an eyebrow at his excitement. "Um, I think I will catch a taxi. Thanks for the offer, though." Dean's bottom lips stuck out. Sarah shivered as she noticed another remnant of Damien hanging around. "Really, thanks for the offer. I appreciate it. But…I gotta go!" She whirled on her heel and ran down the hall.

"Damn, you are losing your touch." The other two men who completed The Shield laughed at their friend's epic failure at capturing the woman's attention. "Never seen a woman RUN from you quite that fast." The tallest of them picked a piece of snake skin from the man's chin while the other brushed a piece from his cheek. "You do resemble a reptile though, bro." The trio headed for their locker room slapping Dean's back good-naturedly and laughing.

* * *

Shannon had raced through the hotel room in an effort not to leave April Mendez trapped in the car with the loopy Nick Nemeth for too long. As it was, when she had her luggage stowed in the trunk and climbed in the back with Nick, April was starting to look a little…impatient. "He's a dear friend and I know he has a concussion but the last time he was a quiet patient. This time he is off his rocker."

"Four and a half hours, Nick. Four and a half hours. You can't annoy the driver the entire time." Shannon said softly as he laid his head on her shoulder.

"He knows I will find a gag. I won't put up with this the entire ride. The Name Game is funny once. Twice is annoying. Now he is pissing me off." April growled fifteen minutes later.

An hour into the ride, Nick's head rolled back against the seat as he tried to go to sleep. Shannon grasped his chin and told him he had to stay awake. He curled his arm around her waist and promised to try. April turned the radio up to a volume she thought wouldn't hurt his head and began to sing softly. Shannon sang along as well, encouraging Nick to join the car-ride sing-along. "This will keep you awake. Come on. It's for your own good." He mumbled along with the music, rubbing his fingers along the waistband of her jeans. She didn't stop him, so he thought _must be okay_.

The trio finally arrived in Pittsburg and piled into one hotel room. They propped Nick on the side of the bed in a sitting position and discussed how they were going to proceed. April needed to call her fiancé, who was either on his way or had arrived in Philadelphia with the rest of the roster. All three of them needed a few minutes in the bathroom. They all needed a few hours of sleep before Nick's appointment. And at least two of them were hoping that April would be able to make it to Philadelphia for SmackDown even though that was 5 hours away and unlikely. The other was still too out of it to have an opinion otherwise the guilt would have been eating away at him. It was decided that Shannon would go first and then help with Nick. That would leave April time to have the bathroom to herself for privacy for her phone call without a time limit. That was the plan.

So Shannon accomplished what she needed to and opened the door. She and April got Nick into the bathroom and made sure he got the necessities taken care of without hurting himself. They wanted to give him some privacy but they knew with his concussion and wacky behavior that a fall would be devastating. Now they had to get him to bed. Two beds – three people. They could all do the math. Guiding Nick to the bed, Shannon realized she should have anticipated his wobble after the light groping in the car but she didn't. _Dammit._ Instead he positioned himself so he wavered and tumbled onto the bed partially on top of her, trapping her arm and leg under his body.

"Shit! Are you okay?" April cursed, trying to maneuver his body off of Shannon.

"Yeah." she sighed. "Everything major is free." She gave a half-hearted shove with her free hand but he didn't budge. "I guess you get the other bed. No need in both of us losing sleep."

April shook her head and ran one hand through her hair as she cursed again. Frustrated she headed into the bathroom and shut the door. Nick wiggled a little got more comfortable, tugging Shannon close and snuggling with her. "Are you awake and doing this on purpose?" she whispered. He didn't answer. "If you are, you should say something. Falling like that could have hurt your head again. It also could have hurt me since I didn't know it was going to happen. I like to know if I'm going to get tumbled onto a bed." There still wasn't any response.

Shannon and April decided that Nick was calm enough for Shannon to handle on her own. Even though they had just met, she wasn't taking advantage of the situation and it would only be for a few hours so April headed on to Philadelphia and Shannon took Nick to his appointment with the neuropsychologist. This is why it was Shannon who had to make the call to the WWE powers-that-be to let them know that Dolph Ziggler would not be traveling for a while. Their star needed continued rest and was unable to fly anywhere. The doctor said that his brain didn't need the pressure or rattling around. He couldn't do anything strenuous, including working out with weights or cardio until he was completely asymptomatic. Shannon wasn't expecting the response she received.

"Since you seem so invested in this, he needs a place to stay and someone to let us know when he is asymptomatic. Can he stay with you for that period of time?"

"What?!" Shannon exclaimed.

"At the very most it will be for a couple of days. We will be back in the area for house shows on the eleventh. So, can you help him?" Stephanie McMahon asked.


	5. Its Too Bad Her Friends Aren't Dear Abby

Shannon stood in the doorway of her kitchen looking at the man comfortably ensconced on her sofa watching television. She thought _how exactly did this happen? Dolph Ziggler is in my living room for at least four days. __**Four**__ freakin' days! What am I gonna do with him? How did __**I**__ end up responsible for him?_ Crossing her arms, she leaned her head against the doorjam.

For his part, the man on the sofa saw the confused woman in the doorway. The concussion may have scrambled his brain and caused some confusion and disorientation, but he was still clear on the fact that she needed time to process everything that had happened in the last _how long have I known this woman? What was her name again? It was Milly…Mildred…No, her friend was playing around. Her name is…Why can't I remember her name?_ Frustrated, he let his head slowly drop to the back of the sofa and he closed his eyes.

Shannon saw his breathing even out and his head begin to loll to the side. She tiptoed over and slipped a pillow under his head before picking up his cell phone and heading for her room and closing the door. Once there, she called Sarah and said, "Before I even start, I need help big time. Like conference call with Torrie and Sam. Can you get another cell?"

"Not a problem. What's your plan?" Sarah said, curious.

"If I call Torrie and you call Sam, we can put the phones on speaker and talk to each other. That will work, won't it?" Sarah was concerned by the shaking in Shannon's voice. "It's worth a shot. You aren't hurt, are you hon?"

"No, just confused. And I need my besties to calm me down and give me some advice. Shannon sat cross-legged on her bed and called Torrie on the other phone. She could hear Sarah whispering through the line and a deep voice replying. When Torrie answered, Shannon told her that she needed to talk to all three of her friends. Torrie's interest was captured. While they were waiting for the other two, Shannon began filling her in on the trip home and meeting Dolph/Nick. It was during that description that Sam and Sarah joined in.

"So, Shannon, we were together up until Dolph…Nick…whatever you are calling him…When Ryback hit him in the head, you went backstage. That was the last I saw of you. What happened?" Sarah asked.

Shannon let out a stress-filled laugh. "Hmm. What happened? Oh boy. He had a concussion. Tests show it isn't as bad as last year's, but he was really, really loopy. Somehow the decision was made that April Mendez – AJ Lee – and I would take him to see the next doctor. For some reason the doctors in Baltimore, you know Johns Hopkins, Shock Trauma, some of the best in the country, they weren't good enough. No, we had to drive to Pittsburg. Then, after hearing that he couldn't fly or work out, I somehow got volunteered for having a house guest until he is cleared for normal activities."

"Whoa! Back that train up, sister!" Shannon heard Torrie slap the table beside the phone an ocean away. "You got fingered as a nurse-maid for Dolph Ziggler? Seriously. Seriously."

Sam picked up where Torrie left off. "How long?" She paused. "What are you leaving out? For you to call all of us on this…weird-ass conference call there is something going on."

Sarah mumbled, "Something that isn't my fault."

Shannon held her head in her hands. "Oh…well…There may be a bit of attraction going on. Both ways. I don't know. Stephanie McMahon asked that I take care of him, not **_take care_** of him. But damn that man is hot and he did have a hold of me in the car. And he was kinda flirty before the concussion."

The other three women began talking at once. "Do not take advantage of an injured man." "Attraction is attraction. Act on it." "If he wants it, follow his lead. He's not **that** injured." "Take advantage? Seriously? He is a foot taller than she is and out-weighs her by nearly a hundred pounds. I really doubt **she** can take advantage of **him**." "Strike while the iron is hot!" "You have the chance to finger those curls, do it!" "Do not make that concussion worse. The man needs to rest." "Yes, rest your head on those abs!"

"Shit. You three are no help. No help at all." Shannon flopped back on her bed making the phones bounce.

Sam finally said something sage. "Why are you fretting now? He is probably sore, bad headache and all. He missed SmackDown and will be upset about that. What time is it where you are?" She yawned. "Shouldn't you be eating? Go feed the man. Let him wallow in his self-pity tonight. You both need sleep tonight, too. Tomorrow you need to unpack from your trip. Worry about this other stuff later."

"Look at Sam with the wise advice!" Sarah said.

"And no mention of Dean Ambrose yet." Torrie teased, changing the topic. "So, what can you tell us about him?"

"He likes snakes." Sarah's shiver came through on the phone. She summarized her encounter with The Shield member to her friends' delight.

"SSsso, how did you get back to the hotel? Did you sssstand in the long taxi linessss?" Sam teased.

"I think that is hiss-terical!" Shannon giggled.

"You two need to sssstop. SSssarah doesssssn't like the teassssing." Torrie laughed.

"Actually," Sarah said with a serious tone in her whisper, "I bumped into someone on my mad dash away from the reptile-loving lunatic."

"Who?" "Who?" "Who?" all three friends answered in unison.

"Wouldn't you three owls like to know? Next time you'll be nicer to me, won't you?" Sarah teased. "Anyway, Sam, it's late in your country. We'll talk later. Gute nacht!"

"Gute nacht!"

Torrie bid them goodnight as well, leaving only Sarah and Shannon on their own phones. "So, who are you with right now? I heard a man's voice earlier..."

"Would you believe that I plowed into Antonio Cesaro as I was running away from Dean Ambrose? He wasn't real keen on that snake either. He gave me a lift back to the hotel." Sarah whispered, "I'm actually in Philadelphia but I have my own room. I don't have to be back to work until tomorrow afternoon, so why not?"

Shannon smiled at her friend's happiness. "Enjoy, sweetie. Enjoy."

Before hanging up, Sarah said, "Call any time. Take care."

gute nacht – good night


	6. It's Too Bad Time Flies

"Did you have a nice chat with your friends?" As soon as Shannon emerged from her room, Nick greeted her from the bathroom doorway. She barely managed to bite back her squeak of shock. Nick crossed his arms over his chest. "It sounded like you had a room full of girls. Did they climb out your window?"

Shannon shook her head and finally said, "We were on our phones with a weirdly set-up conference call."

"You know, you could have said something. I don't bite. Well…unless you ask very nicely." He had a flirty smirk on his face as he walked back to the living room.

"And **that's** why I talked to the girls." Shannon muttered. She started to walk into the bathroom because she really needed to pee but she caught a whiff of his lingering cologne, heavily scented in the small area. _I can't do that_, she thought and headed towards the kitchen to fix something for dinner. Nick could see this and bit back a smile. Forty-five minutes later he was smiling in delight as he was enjoying a home cooked meal that she whipped up and served him without complaint. It wasn't often he got to enjoy the delicacy of a home cooked meal. This was something to be savored.

When the dinner dishes were cleaned up and showers were taken, Shannon and Nick headed for separate bedrooms. Shannon was thrilled to be back in her own room and in her own bed. Nick was show to the guest room with the guest bed. "You'll be comfortable here. The bathroom is across the hall and I am next door. Sleep well!"

The next morning, Shannon woke up to the aroma of coffee wafting through the apartment. Stretching, she pulled herself up and went to greet her houseguest. Her shirtless houseguest who was sitting on her counter, head propped against the wall with his eyes closed, steaming mug of coffee in his hands, athletic shorts riding low on his hips…_Oh, dear Lord, that man looks so good! I could run my hands up his chest…caress those pectoral muscles…lick that collar bone, suck on that neck…kiss those lips…drown in those eyes…those eyes…Those eyes, SHIT!_ A smile began to grow on his face as he raised his cup of coffee to his mouth. After he took a sip, he sat the cup on the counter at his side. He never broke eye-contact with Shannon.

Shannon began rapidly blinking her eyes and started to move towards the bathroom. As soon as her foot flinched, Nick was there. Shannon was backed against the wall, hands raised over her head, with his lips grazing her ear. "Don't run. Don't fight this. Please. I'm all here and so are you. We know what we are doing and we both want this, don't we? Please say you do because it is written all over your face." Nick lowered his mouth to the side of Shannon's neck, trailing his tongue in a warm wet path. Shannon's knees started to shake. She curled her fingers into his and Nick's smile grew wider. "We okay?" Shannon slid one thigh up and around his waist. He let go of her hands and grasped her hips. Holding her steady, Nick rocked against her body letting her feel what he was feeling. Shannon began chewing on her lip. Nick grabbed her lip in his and whispered, "Stop that. I am the only one allowed to chew on these lips." Shannon's tinkling hit Nick right in that spot in the lower belly that maintained his control. Her night shirt and shorts were flung on the floor as he carried her back into her room. His shorts hit the floor as his knees touched the side of the bed. "Just to be clear, you are about to get tumbled onto your bed." he said, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other behind her head.

"I knew you were awake." she murmured before he captured her lips in a kiss reminiscent of a general storming an enemy fort. As she was lowered onto the middle of the bed, he slid inside and began to rock with very little wait-time. Shannon was caught in a maelstrom of feelings and experiences. She couldn't tell which end was up, only that this was something different that anything she had ever shared with anyone else. She didn't want to ever come up for air.

* * *

Shannon was glad that this concussion didn't have the lasting effects that the previous one seemed to have on Nick. He recovered so much more quickly. That didn't explain why he felt he had to rush off and meet up with the WWE in Buffalo on January 11th. He wanted to drive, not fly, so he left on the 10th with a promise to call and Skype. He said he hoped that she understood, it was a career decision because he needed the push. They were headed into Canada on tour, he couldn't miss an international tour, could he? She understood, right? He would be back. Promise.


	7. It's Too Bad Promises are Broken

Nick called to let Shannon know that he arrived safely in Buffalo and again to let her know that he was in Montreal, Quebec. He wasn't going to be on the show, but he was bound and determined to travel with the company. He said it was the only way to stay relevant and in the story line. He explained how his "push" had died the last time he'd gotten a concussion so Shannon tried to be understanding. She heard him say he was left home for two months to recover, that he lost two days of memories and that he had relied on AJ Lee and Big E to get him to the airport. When he returned to work, he had to work his way from mid-card matches back up to main event status. Shannon understood his motivation. What completely baffled her and cut her to the quick was the silence that stretched from the last phone call on January 13th until she saw him reappear during the Royal Rumble. The trunks looked so good…from the front. That fake zipper-looking thing in the front – Wow. Then Shannon saw the back. "Over It." Her heart thumped in her chest. _Is that a message for me? Please let that be a catch phrase…Please don't let him mean…Oh, my God. No, No, No. Please don't let him mean that we are…_ Shannon collapsed on the floor in front of her sofa. She watched the Rumble through the fingers covering her face. "I am so STUPID!" she screamed. She watched Roman Reigns eliminate Dolph Ziggler. She watched Renee Young interview Dolph backstage and listened to him talk about how happy he was to be back. Tears rolled down her cheeks. _He's so happy. I am just a stupid fan who made a stupid, fangirl mistake._ Shannon turned off her television and curled up on the floor, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

As Claudio Castagnolio and Nick Nemeth stood in line to check in at the hotel in Cleveland, Claudio asked the blonde man, "So how is Shannon doing? I heard the two of you really hit to off."

"Shannon? Oh, yeah, Milly – Shannon. We haven't talked much lately. She knows that I have been working hard to get back into ring-shape and make sure this concussion doesn't derail my career. She's really supportive and great. I'm going to go see her on my next day off." Nick told the Swiss superstar.

Claudio raised both eyebrows. "Are you f-ing with me right now? You quote haven't talked much lately endquote?" his voice was beginning to raise. "You stayed with her for six days, four of them at her place while she took care of your incapacitated ass! And you can't f-ing pick up the phone and call her?"

"Why the hell are you so defensive?" Nick grumbled as them moved closer to the counter.

"Because I am seeing her friend Sarah. Unlike you, since we've been on the road I call her, text her, and Skype with her. And, unlike you, on our next day off, I am actually going to see Sarah." Claudio moved past Nick and up to the counter. As soon as he had his room key he threw back over his shoulder, "Shannon didn't deserve that shit, Nick. That was cold."

* * *

Shannon had finished packing her suitcases. Her apartment was in condition to be left for a few months since she didn't know how long she'd be gone. Since she had nothing else to do, she turned on SmackDown. To her surprise, a violent battle was raging between Antonio Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler. Picking up the phone, Shannon called Sarah. "I'm watching SmackDown. What happened between Antonio and Dolph?"

"You are alive!" Sarah greeted. "Thank goodness!"

"Ha, Ha! Now, really, I know SmackDown was taped. What happened between those two?" Shannon repeated.

"I told you that I was seeing Claudio, that's why you are calling. He knows that something is up with you and I am worried about you. If I am worried about you, so is he. And Nick is the reason you are twisted in knots, so he's going to pay the price. I can't kick his ass – I wanted to but C said I wasn't allowed to. Believe me, I tried. Ended up tied to a hotel bed…Anyway…" Sarah trailed off with a goofy laugh, as if the thought brought back some interesting memory.

Shannon cleared her throat. "Yeah. Well. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Work is taking me away for a while, so once I figure out the time changes I'll be in touch."

"Woah. What are you talking about? Where are you going? What are you doing? Shannon? Sweetie. Honey. I realize that you fell hard for this man and he turned out to be a total and complete ass, but you cannot make rash decisions because of him. Please." Sarah was almost begging. "Just hold on. Let me call…"

"Sarah, just stop. I've already made this decision. **I** screwed up. **I** dropped my guard and let him in. It is on **me**. It was fast and whirlwind. What's worse, I was building a stupid fantasy world where this would actually work. I can't stay in this apartment right now. I need a break from my stupidity. It just so happens that I can work on location for a while so I am going to take advantage of that. Maybe when I get home I will have gotten over this stupid mistake."

"Shannon…"

"I will call you. I promise. Love ya, Sarah."

As soon as Sarah realized that Shannon had hung up she yelled, "C! C! I am going to kill Nicholas Nemeth! There is no way you can stop me! I swear he is a dead man!"


	8. It's Too Bad He's Alone for WrestleMania

Nick did keep his promise to Claudio, sort of. He knew that the WWE had a house show on Friday, February 14 so he figured he would do the next best thing. On Thursday the 13th, he confirmed his reservations for dinner at the best restaurant in Baltimore, dressed in his best suit, picked up the dozen and a half long stem red roses he had ordered, and headed for Shannon's door. Knowing that he had been in the wrong, he was prepared to apologize and to beg for her forgiveness. She wouldn't be able to shut the door in his face with all of this, could she? He took a deep breath and knocked on her door. He heard nothing inside the apartment. He knocked again. The third time he knocked, he pressed his ear to the door, hoping to hear something.

The door across the hall opened. A nice looking young man looked Nick up and down, taking in every detail of his appearance. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm good." Nick said, knocking again.

"Mmmm. You are here to see Shannon? Early Valentine's Day surprise?" the man queried, continuing his perusal of Nick's appearance.

"Yes, yes I am." Nick knocked a little harder.

"Then you are going to have to knock much harder than that." the man said, raising an eyebrow. Nick dropped his hand and finally turned to face Shannon's neighbor. The young man mimicked his expression. "If you really do know Shannon, you would know where she is. I would say you are probably the reason she is gone." He shut the door to his apartment. Nick knocked on the neighbor's door only to hear two voices inside. The voice he now recognized said, "I don't know who he is but he was at Shannon's door, all dressed up like she should be ready to go to Valentine's dinner with him. Obviously he isn't aware and I'm not going to be the one to enlighten him. He's probably the ass that drove her over there!" Nick stared at the closed doors in confusion. _Where was Shannon? Why was her neighbor so p. at __**him**__?_

* * *

Two months passed by with infrequent e-mails from Shannon to her friends but Nick was still left in the dark. Sarah, Torrie, and Sam all talked to each other regularly, worried about her state of mind. How could she have gotten so attached to him so quickly? What would it take to get her home and safe? They shook their heads and prayed. Claudio knew that his girlfriend was scared for her friend but he had promised not to say anything to Nick. It was a fine line for the man to walk.

Nick had a heart, he was sure. If he knew what he had driven her to would tear him apart. Claudio had successfully dodged Nick's questions in February when the other man had tried to surprise Shannon at her apartment only to find that she wasn't home. He hadn't been able to find out where she was and had finally dropped the subject. As Claudio watched Nick prepare for his WrestleMania match, he thought of Shannon and shook his head. Here was Nick on the greatest stage of them all and where was she? What was she doing? Fury began to eat at his gut. He turned and walked away.

Nick watched Claudio, not daring to raise his head. He was sure the other man knew where Shannon was. He knew her wishes. Nick had to respect them. When Claudio walked away Nick dropped his head. _Claudio has Sarah. They are here having their WrestleMania moment together. If I had only…Shannon would be here with me. Shannon would be here and __**we**__ could have __**our**__ WrestleMania moment. Instead I am here alone and she is God knows where. What am I to do? If no one will tell me anything, how can I fix this? _

Nick headed out for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He made sure he appeared pumped for the match on the outside even if he really wasn't on the inside. He wore his silver and pink shiny trunks with his neon pink shirt that said It's Not Showing Off on the front and If You Can Back It Up on the back. Personally he felt like he phoned-in his performance and was thankful when Alberto del Rio eliminated him. He was happy when Antonio Cesaro won the match, even if it wasn't going to help him find Shannon. It seemed like that was a lost cause.

* * *

Shannon watched WrestleMania on her computer. She saw Sarah's boyfriend win the Battle Royal. She saw Brock Lesnar "make history" against The Undertaker. Taking a deep breath she sent a message to Sarah. "That ending was unfair. It's not what's best for business – it sucks. Tell C that I said congratulations. Hope you reward him well. Much Love, Shan" As soon as she hit send, she received a notification of a new message.

In case you are online, C wanted you to know that he saw Nick before  
the match. He doesn't look right, hon. C wants to talk to him. He tried to see  
you for Valentine's and that was two months ago. Two months, Shannon. If he is  
still thinking about you and you are still thinking about him, why don't you  
two talk? Maybe there is hope. Take a chance. Come home.  
Let someone else do that. Please.


	9. It's Too Bad Sam's In Germany

As April turned into May, the passage of time was hard on everyone. Sarah and Claudio were still learning the ropes of their long-distance relationship. Claudio spent very little time at his actual residence in Florida. When he had a couple of days off, he spent them in Arizona with Sarah. She worked long hours at the hospital and he hit the gym. When she got home he had whatever meal was appropriate waiting. They would curl up together in bed and hold each other until sleep came. These times were few and far between so they were cherished. It was during one of these cross-country flights that Claudio and Nick had the chance to have a heart-to-heart. Nick asked…begged…Claudio for any word on Shannon. Claudio patted his hand and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Shannon asked that we not tell you anything. You have to understand, I've seen you but she hasn't. From her point of view, you walked away. You disappeared on her without a word. Then you went back to your dream job in trunks that proclaimed 'Over It' and she drew a conclusion that you were sending her a message." Nick's head dropped back against the headrest. "You never reached out or considered things from her side. She's not a normal woman. That was evident from the second she agreed to go with you and April to see the neuropsychologist. There wasn't anything in it for her and she was just back from vacation. The woman wanted to get home, but she took care of you. And when you needed her, she took you in. You, a relative stranger, into her home. She thought the two of you were building something; that this was significant."

"It was; It is. Dammit." Nick looked at the ceiling of the plane. "I thought I had time. I thought I could get this straight and come back for her. I didn't realize there was a time limit."

"We never do." Claudio agreed. "The safest thing to do is assume that there is. Act quickly. Otherwise you can assume that it will be too late, no matter what they say."

* * *

The end of May signaled a long haul for the WWE superstars. It was one of the two times of the year that the WWE went for an extended tour of Europe, much to the excitement of most of the European fans. For one, she was simply lying in wait.

As soon as the tickets for both shows in Germany and the VIP Meet and Greet and gone on sale, she bought them. When her friend flaked, she began planning what she would say if she saw HIM. Here she sat, at a table, in a room, expected to go up and shake his hand and take a picture with him. _There is no way in heaven or hell that anyone can make me get near Dolph Ziggler. I swear if he gets close enough to me, I'll…_Sam was so angry she couldn't even finish her own thought. When she was told that it was her turn, she shook her head and politely told the runner "No, thank you" before glaring at Dolph. She had already gotten her picture taken with AJ Lee, which was very cool. There should be one more wrestler that would be coming and then she would take a little walk to calm down. _That man just pisses me off so much. How the hell can one man be so callus? _Before long, Dolph's time was up. He looked at Sam quizzically before leaving the stage area. Dean Ambrose arrived. Fans were called up in a different order this time, and Sam's table was last. In fact, Sam was the very last person to be called to have her picture taken with Dean Ambrose.

"Dean." he said, extending his hand.

"Sam." she introduced, shaking his.

They faced the camera for a picture. He held on to her after the flash. "What's the story with you and the Zig-man?" Sam turned to look at Dean carefully. "You blew him off very coldly and blatantly."

Now that the room was cleared of all the other fans, AJ returned. "Coldly? Coldly? She was downright rude. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sam caught a glimpse of Dolph Ziggler just off to the side of the stage. That was all she needed to let loose. "Who do I think I am? Who do I think I am?" She pulled away from Dean's grip. "Let me tell you who I am. I am best friends with an absolute gem of a woman. A woman, who without regard for herself, will drop everything and run to help anyone including some myopic asshole that can't see past that curly mop of hair. He not only hurt my best friend, he devastated her. I don't want to shake his hand. I don't want his picture. I don't want to breathe the same air he does. All I want from him is to get my best friend, my sister back." Sam spun on her heel and headed for Nick. "So, Dolph Ziggler. Can you get her back? Can you convince her to come back to safety? Or that isn't important to you?"

AJ tried to interrupt and speak on his behalf but Nick held up his hand. He spoke softly to Sam. "No one will tell me where she is. If you tell me, I promise…"

Sam snorted derisively. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Please, Sam." he begged.

The fire and passion he witnessed struck a cord in Jon Good, the man who portrayed Dean Ambrose. _Holy shit, that woman is attractive. That defensive streak she has over her friend is pretty damn hot!__Does she realize how incredibly...nope, she's tied up in knots over her friend and I'm so...If anyone was that possessive over me...F*ck!_ He put his hands on Sam's shoulders. "Let him have a chance." he whispered. His whisper did something to Sam's insides. She tried to look back over her shoulder. "It's their hell. Let them sort it out."

"Funny you should phrase it that way." Sam muttered. Looking the crestfallen man in the eye she said, "Shannon is a privately contracted linguistic code-breaker." After pausing for a moment she explained, "Shannon is brilliant. Languages and puzzles are her thing. Men confound and confuse her. She had such high hopes…" Sam shook her head and continued with the explanation of Shannon's career choice and location. "Shannon is not in the military but she is contracted by the military. She could choose to work for **a lot** more money in the private sector, but she feels she is saving lives by doing what she is doing. What she has explained to us is that she uses her knowledge of languages, problem solving, and puzzles to break codes."

"Ookkaayy." AJ drew out as Nick nodded slowly.

"Military. She decided not to work state-side. She wanted to be quote on location – _HA_ for a while. Do you know what that means, Nick? On location? What the hell has been going on lately? Shannon, with her skills, is either in Baghdad, or in the Ukraine with their civil war issues, or she is in Nigeria."

"Why Nigeria?" Dean asked.

"Because last month there was a bomb that went off that killed 71 people during rush hour. How many privately contracted linguistic code-breakers do you think there are that can speak the languages that might be necessary to find those responsible and who are willing to go into Abuja, Nigeria?" She grabbed Nick's shoulders and shook him hard. "Do you understand what you've done? Do you see now? You broke her heart. The one thing that makes life worth living."

"It's not his fault if she is suicidal." AJ argued.

"She's not suicidal!" Sam yelled. "Now she is back to being…robotic. Stagnant. Blech. She is so damn good at that job, it was all she did. That and talk to us online. That vacation, the one she was returning from when you two met, that was her first vacation in five years. She takes a couple of days here or there but never goes away and we got her to." Sam began to pace. "All Shannon did was sit in that damn office and work. She'd go to the field if she needed to, but most of her work was in the office and with computers. She could hear and replay tracks, breaking things down as she needed to. Now…"

"Now I need to find her and fix this." Nick agreed.

* * *

Shannon was facing her own crisis. She had traveled from the Ukraine to Nigeria to try and sort through the bombardment of claims of credibility for the bombing. There were also a massive amount of threats for more bombs. She was being pressured to identify those that were viable and those that were bogus. _How am I supposed to know? I am a linguistic code-breaker, not a psychoanalyst. I don't know what these whack-jobs are thinking._ On top of that, each day more and more information was being funneled her way about the unrest in the Ukraine. The higher-ups in the military wanted proof that the Russians were behind the issues and thought Shannon could provide it. _I am a civilian, private contractor. Don't they have military people for this stuff? Really? I am one person. _

Shannon lay in her cot and stared at the cracked ceiling. _Someone, give me a sign. What am I supposed to do? I am overwhelmed and confused. I just wish there was someone I could talk to. Someone I could trust and depend on. _

Her e-mail pinged. "New Message from Nick Nemeth"


	10. It's Too Bad Wishes Don't Come True

Shannon stared at the screen. "New Message from Nick Nemeth". She blinked her eyes slowly. She rubbed them gently. She blinked quickly. She looked at the ceiling and back at the screen. The message didn't change or go away. It still said "New Message from Nick Nemeth". Shannon sat up in her cot and pushed her pillow against the wall for support. _Should I open it? Why is he sending me a message now? How did he get my e-mail? Why am I shaking like a leaf?_ Shannon rubbed her hands across her face and stared at the screen again. She closed her eyes. _I make decisions that affect people's lives. People depend on me to figure shit out all the time, not to waver, to be confident in what I do. I can read one freakin' e-mail. This isn't life-or-death. This is just a message from the man who ripped out my heart and stomped on it because I don't have the experience that he does. That's not a bad thing, that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's who I am. I am not a sleazy tart. Someone will appreciate that…eventually…right?_ Shannon realized that tears were starting to leak down her cheeks. She brushed them away and reached for her laptop instead of her phone. No sense in straining her eyes for this message. Taking a deep breath, she hovered the cursor over the link and closed her eyes. Then she clicked.

* * *

After begging and cajoling Sam backstage for the first night of the shows in Germany, Nick realized that he needed to do something drastic. Time wasn't on his side. His usual routine would be to get to a city, find some place to eat, work out, and go to the show. With the international tour, he was also doing a lot of media but was fortunate that Berlin was one day that he had off. He managed to avoid anyone that wanted to drag him out of his hotel room and he was able to snag a computer. The first parts of his plan were working. He opened a word processing program unlike any he had used at home and stared at the screen. Then he paced the room. This was the part he knew would be the hardest. _What do you say to the woman that you think you love but were only physically around for less than a week? How does one apologize for shattering her heart to the point she would rather be on the front lines of a war-torn area than in the safety of her apartment because of the memories you left there?_ Nick's hands were buried in his hair. He yanked his ponytail free and pulled at the strands. "I don't know how to say this, how to fix this. I just want to hold her and swear that if I could go back…" He sat down in the chair as the words began to flow.

* * *

Sam arrived at her hotel in Berlin. She wanted to be happy that she was going to see her second WWE show, but watching Nick beg was eating away at her. Once she was safely ensconced in her room, she called Sarah and Torrie for advice. "He does look pathetic, doesn't he?" Sarah agreed. "I know he really misses her."

"It's his damn fault she's gone!" Torrie exploded. "If he had gonads they would be a happy couple and she wouldn't be in war-torn hell right now. There is no way you can make me feel sorry for him!"

Sam harrumphed. "I was singing the same tune until I met him. Now the limey bloke has me feeling sorry for him."

"Is that why you called? To tell us he made you change your opinion?" Torrie asked, clearly not impressed.

Sam snorted. "As rarely as that happens, nope. Not why I called. Nick wants to contact Shannon. I was thinking about giving him her e-mail. If he is this torn up and she is in love with him, maybe… Couldn't he convince her to get out of that area? Isn't that what we all want for her? The pinhead isn't listening to us, maybe he can get through to her."

"She's gonna be p*ssed. She said not to give him any information." Sarah said. "C and I have stuck with that, as hard as it's been."

"And look where Shannon is." Torrie argued. "I still blame the bleach-blonde blockhead but he's our best bet. I say give it to him. And when she is safe we really give it to him. _Grrrrr_."

Sam smiled. "Can I quote you on that?"

* * *

Opening her eyes, Shannon read the words that filled the screen.

Shannon,  
There are no words, no excuses that I can give that justify the silence you  
have endured. At the time I thought…but I was wrong. The only thing that I can  
say now is that if I could go back, if I could do things differently, I would. Does  
that change where we are now? No. But please let me tell you what I would do. I  
beg of you.  
If I were granted one wish, I would go back to the day I left. Why did I leave? There  
wasn't any rush. I would stay with you in that apartment. I would continue to work  
out and rehab while you went to work. We would have dinner together every night  
and breakfast every morning. And the nights… The dream life would have worked  
until my return at the Royal Rumble. We would have had to figure out how to  
work our relationship. Could you travel with me sometimes? Would I be coming back  
to see you on my days off like Claudio does for his woman? It would take work and we  
would figure it out together.  
If I were granted one wish, just one wish right now, I would be with you. I would kneel  
at your feet and beg you to forgive me for ever taking you for granted. I swear to  
you, if this wish were granted, I would kiss your feet and swear on all that is holy  
that you will never doubt me again. I would wrap my arms around you and  
keep you safe through the night, whispering in your ear all that you mean to  
me. I just need this one wish granted. One wish. One chance. If granted, I swear I  
will not fail again. Your heart is too precious.  
Yours (if you will have me),  
Nick

Shannon closed the computer and sat it on the floor. She curled into a ball on her bed and sobbed into her pillow.


	11. It's Too Bad the World is So Big

Sam was taking in the sights and sounds of the house show in Berlin from the front row near the entrance ramp. Watching the entrances was spectacular. Hearing the verbal exchanges was hilarious. Feeling the vibrations of men being thrown into the stairs and the barricades put a smile on Sam's face. Every time she smiled, someone backstage clutched his fists. Finally it was his turn to perform.

Dean Ambrose stalked towards the ring. The crowd was shouting his name. As he passed _her_, he swore he could single out her voice, swore it pinged his heart. _What the hell is that?_ he thought.

Sam screamed as Dean stomped passed. She wondered if she imagined his stuttered pause in step. She saw a slight shrug of his shoulders. _What is up with Dean?_ she wondered, screaming louder.

Dean used her intensity as motivation for his match. He stayed pumped throughout his time in front of the crowd, watching her reactions to his moves and spots. The challenging part was keeping the smile off his face. When the match was over, Dean left the ring on the announcer table side and circled around, signing autographs and allowing pictures to be taken. When time was almost up, he picked up the pace and headed for Sam. Catching her eye, he mouthed "Trust me." Sam seemed to realize Dean was going to do something lunatic and took the fraction of a second's notice she had gotten to snag her things. The next thing she knew, she was airborne. As in up over the barricade and hoisted over Dean Ambrose's shoulder. She let out a tiny squeal before recognizing that she had such a perfect view of Dean's delectable booty. As he went up the ramp he tightened his grip on her ass, his thumb clenching the juncture of her hip and thigh. It was at this point that Sam began to focus on the motion, the hidden movement of his fingers. The crowd couldn't see that Dean's fingers were nimbly moving along her inner thigh but she could surely tell. Sliding her hand down his back, she waited until they were backstage to slide her hand from his spine to his waistband. Someone called his name but Dean didn't stop until he reached a secluded and deserted hallway.

Sam finally found herself upright and sliding down a wall with Dean less than an inch away. Raising her eyes to look into those intense blue orbs, Sam felt his breath fanning across her face. "You are not scared of me." She shook her head. "There is something about you…" Dean rubbed his nose from her ear up along her hairline and back down to rub their noses together. Sam dropped her bag and slid her hands into his hair.

* * *

Nick paced back and forth in his hotel room. "Waiting is the hard part, right?" He folded his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling as he continued to pace the length of the room. A sharp knock rapped at the door. Nick stomped over and yanked it open. "What?!" he snarled.

Claudio waved two six packs of Stella Artois in front of Nick's face. "I thought you could use this. Sarah says that you took a big step and now you are…" Nick turned and resumed his pacing, leaving Claudio talking to empty air. The Swiss man walked into the room and kicked the door closed. Eventually Claudio was able to get Nick to sit down and have a drink. "Have you heard anything?"

"Not a word." he mumbled.

"Listen, you reached out to her. She is going to need time to respond. You also don't know what she's dealing with right now. Be patient. You'll hear something." Claudio seemed so confident.

"How can you be so sure?"

Claudio popped open two more Stellas, handing one to Nick. "If you spilled your guts to her, and she is as raw as she's been for the last three months, then there's no way she can stay silent. She can't resist you."

"Should I send another message?" Nick wondered aloud.

"No. Don't overwhelm her. Give her time. You also don't know what is going on with her work. If shit has hit the fan, you don't want to give her more issues. You want to be a safe place for her."

"How the hell did you get so smart?" Nick asked, draining his Stella and reaching for a third.

Claudio chuckled. "Don't tell Sarah I said this, but she makes me a better man. She's such a sweetheart. Damn, I sound like a putz." The men sat there talking about the women in their lives until each had drained a six-pack of Stellas and was feeling a little tipsy. Claudio headed back to his room and Nick flopped across his bed, wondering if he'd hear from Shannon in the near future.

* * *

Warm fingers caressed Shannon's forehead. "You poor thing. This is tearing you up, isn't it?" Shannon felt the cot sink as the person sat next to her. "You are doing everything you can. Those souls don't rest on your shoulders, sweetie. That is not your burden to bear."

Shannon stretched and rolled over to look her friend and co-worker tearfully in the face. "Kay!" She launched herself into her friend's arms, nearly knocking her to the floor. Befuddled by Shannon's actions, Kay attempted to keep them both balanced and steady while trying to calm her now sobbing friend. "I'm so confused! Do I respond? Call? Go see him? I don't know if I should forgive him or not. He seems so sincere but he waited so long! What do I do? Why am I so confused? I am an intelligent woman. Why am I acting like a stupid little teenager? Dammit!" She melted into a blubbering mass.

Kay patted her back for a few moments before pulling Shannon's head up and looking into her eyes. "You are an intelligent woman. And I would love to participate in this heart-to-heart girl-chat but I am missing some significant parts…like the whole story!" Kay backed up and sat cross legged on Shannon's cot. "What the hell is going on?"

Shannon mirrored Kay's posture, looking down at her own folded hands and picked one of her nails. "I forgot, you've been MIA thanks to this job. Before we talk about my shit, are you okay?"

Kay drew a heavy breath. "Yeah. Better. That's not an area of the world I want to revisit but I think we're going to end up there again and soon. Let's just say the North and the South don't get along very well. And this time, we are on the South's side." Both women looked worriedly at each other. "There's nothing we can do except break codes. We can't fix broken people or broken minds."

Shannon knew that whatever Kay had worked on would remain a secret. That is how it was supposed to be and they kept to that standard. Still, she reached out to her friend. "You know that if you need to talk, it won't go past me."

"I know. Just like I know you are about to confide in me." Kay patted Shannon's knees. "I have a sneaky suspicion that I am going to feel really bad for being out of touch. This is going to be big…and bad, isn't it?"

"Not compared to what you've dealt with…there. Let's hope someone fixes things before it blows up into an international incident. And let's hope that you and I can work together for a while. I am going to bend your ear about my stuff, but then I want to get your eyes on work from the U. I have a feeling that place is about to blow up big." Shannon said, her eyes serious and intense.

"I hate your feelings. They suck." Kay's voice was dark and gloomy. "Shelf work for a few. Tell me about the personal stuff. Last time we talked you didn't _have_ a personal life and you were going on vacation for two weeks. Deets, girl, deets!" Shannon caught Kay up on story so far, including summarizing the e-mail from Nick. "Oh, sweetie. Reread his e-mail. Pull it up now. If he is describing you as his one wish…" Tears welled in Kay's eyes. "Reread it and see if those are his words. If they are…if he slaved over them…if his heart and soul are on the line and you leave him dangling…honey, men are proud creatures and they can't be left out there long. They can't handle it. You said it wasn't that long after that you left. You came over here. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't get to you. You've cut off any method of communication. What do you think he had to do to get your e-mail? _That_ e-mail?" Shannon jumped off the cot and started to pace the small bare area in front of it. "I don't mean to make you feel bad…"

"I need to hear it. To think about it." Shannon muttered. "As hurt and devastated as I have felt, what if he has been feeling…" Fresh tears tracked down her cheeks. "I have to call…no, I can't. Shit. I will send him a…"

A door banged open. "Great! There are two of you! To the communication building. Stat."


	12. It'sToo Bad We'reonRight Page,Wrong Time

Kay and Shannon drug their weary bodies into the bunker and dropped onto their cots. "Dear Lord, this is an insane time." Kay groaned, staring up at the ceiling with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You can say that again." Shannon sighed.

"Dear Lord, this is an insane time." Kay repeated. Both women giggled in their exhaustion as they curled into their pillows. "When are you going to send Mr. Emotionally Out on a Ledge a response?" Kay mumbled through a yawn.

"When I haven't been up for 23 hours and my eyeballs aren't scratchy." Shannon's eyes were closed as her voice trailed off in her reply.

Then sleep claimed them both.

* * *

"Pick up your feet! You look like a damn pouting toddler!" Jon snarled.

Nick walked even more slowly in front of the grouchy man known as the Lunatic Fringe. "I can't believe she didn't respond. Not a word."

Jon gave him a shove. "How many times do you have to have to hear it? With her job, you have no f-ing idea what is going on right now. So be freaking patient and get off my f-ing nerves!"

"What's got you so tied up in knots?" Nick asked the very moody man behind him. "You are worse off than I am."

"Just shut up and leave me alone." Jon stormed away, his rolling suitcase bouncing behind him.

"I heard that Jon made quite a connection in Germany and is upset that he had to leave her behind." Claudio whispered as he walked passed Nick. "We get the oh-so-happy version of the lunatic for the foreseeable future. Sheesh." He shook his head in dismay as he continued walking without pause. "What did I do to deserve this fresh hell?"

"Be very careful, Ice Cream. I'm about to knock that scoop off your cone." Claudio looked up the hall at the muttering lunatic, giving the man a half smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Stay out of my business. I mean it."

"Scary." Nick whispered as he passed Claudio and headed out of the airport.

"I haven't gone by that stage name in years. And I'm not getting into your business, friend."

"Make sure it stays that way." Jon snarled, spittle gathering at the corners of his mouth. Claudio thought he was beginning to resemble his nickname, a real lunatic on the fringe.

* * *

**_Monday, May 26 – Knoxville, Tennessee_**

Word spread quickly through the roster – tiptoe around emotions, several of the superstars were on edge and would be quick to snap. Everyone was anxious and hoping that no one would get hurt. There were a few bumps, bruises, and accusations of working stiff but overall the night went without incident. Claudio and Colby drew the shortest straw and had to bundle Jon into their car for the drive to Atlanta. Joe Anoaʻi, Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt agreed to take Nemeth duty for the night. They agreed that they had the lesser of the two evils as he seemed to pout quietly whereas the other ranted and raved or sulked and stared at his phone in interminable silence.

Arriving at the hotel for check-in, the men made a fateful and deliberate decision. They dumped both miserable men in a room together and shut the door.

* * *

**_elsewhere in the world…_**

Shannon woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted mouthwash, hot sweet tea, a nice warm shower, to send a message to Nick, and the bathroom – not necessarily in that order. There was a blinking notification "New Message from Sam" greeting her on her computer as soon as she flipped it open. Thinking for just a second, she clicked the message before taking care of her other needs. She quickly regretted this decision.

So, you are a very busy woman. I get that. But you couldn't take five seconds to send  
him a message? Really? Do you know what this ass has gone through for you? And  
that is coming from one of your best friends, sweetie! I nearly punched the asshole's  
lights out for you and now I want to throttle you! He poured his heart out in that  
message and you couldn't even say 'Hey, jerk, I got your message and I'll talk to you  
later'? I know that some crazy shit might be going down where you are, wherever  
that is. But you didn't see…  
And I need my girl chat with you, too. I need to tell you about Dean. I need you, too. Get  
your shit together. Fast. Now. People need you. I need you.

Shannon's head hitting the wall woke up Kay. "What's wrong?"

"You name it." Shannon sighed, shaking her head as she headed out to take care of her morning necessities. Returning to the room she found Kay reading her e-mail.

"Sam seems p. You never responded to Nick's e-mail?"

"No, never had the chance." Shannon mumbled.

"You didn't take the chance! This one is all on you!" Kay exclaimed. "That man…And you…And now how much time has…No wonder…ARGH!" Kay jumped up and walked out of the room, leaving Shannon alone.

Shannon sent a short reply to Sam.

No excuses. I was chicken. Then some things went haywire. Now things look bad. I  
am contacting him right now. Will send you a message later to discuss situation with  
you and Dean. Need details…

The next message was going to be harder and more complex. If only she could call, but that wasn't an option. Not now, not here. Shannon looked at her computer and bowed her head. Nick was back state-side. She had really screwed up.

Hi.  
I doubt you want to hear from me now.  
When I got your message, it was like a punch in the gut. Well, more like opening  
the floodgates. I sat here and cried. I wasn't capable of formulating a coherent  
sentence. I blubbered like a baby. I tell you this, Nick, so you realize that I wasn't angry  
at that point. I was moving beyond that. You moved me. You touched me. You were  
helping me heal. I wanted to talk to you, communicate with you like you did with me.  
And I would have, if real-life hadn't intervened.  
I can't tell you what I do. I can't tell you where I am. All I can say is what I do is  
important. I was ready to…and then… And now so much time has passed. Time that  
you spent twisting in the wind. Literally. Flying home. Wondering why I didn't  
respond. And I can't give you a good reason except to say trust that it was important. And  
it will probably happen again.  
Please be careful. Don't hurt yourself. Take care. I do care. I wish I was there with  
you. When it is possible, I will be. Until then, know that what you described in your  
e-mail…That is my wish. That is my dream. I will dream that every night.  
3  
Shannon

* * *

**_Tuesday, May 27th – Atlanta, Georgia_**

Nick had just finished showering after his workout with The Shield and Claudio. He was putting the last of his gear in his bag when his phone dinged. "Check it in the car. Let's go." Jon grumbled. Nick glanced at his phone and sank onto a bench, his knees having given out. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

All four of the other men saw the pale appearance of Nick's skin and the tears welling in his eyes. "She…She…"

"Spit it out already!"

The Swiss superstar shoved Jon away and sat down beside Nick. "Shannon sent you a message? What did she say?"

"I haven't…I can't…" Nick's hands were shaking. "What if…"

"Open the damn thing! She's not going to turn you away!" Jon growled. Joe punched Jon on the shoulder. "Ow!"

"The asshole is right. She's not going to turn you away. She likes you too much. Now open the message." Colby agreed.

Claudio patted his friend's shoulder. "You know the message is there. Do you want to read it here or wait until you can find a quiet spot at the arena?" Nick looked around and then reached for his bag, gripping the phone tightly in his hand. "Okay. We will get you to the arena so you can read in peace. But you have to hold it together all night, guaranteed."

"Guaranteed." Nick whispered. "She answered. Finally." They were only two blocks away from the gym when he gave in to temptation and opened Shannon's message. "I made her cry. My message. I made her cry." he said. The other men silently groaned, realizing that he was reading it in the car. "She wanted to e-mail…she meant to e-mail…something happened with work and she couldn't. She said she can't tell me what she does or where she is."

"But you already know that she is a linguistic code-breaker. Why can't she just say that?" Jon grumbled.

"Hey, dumb-ass! Think about how you found out." Claudio growled. "Then think about how Shannon is communicating. See a difference in the method of communication? Add in the fact you were in Germany and she is who knows where…"

"Not as safe as backstage at a WWE show in Germany, that's for sure." Colby whispered.

Nick seemed oblivious to the conversation, saying "She is upset that it took so long for her to respond. She wants me to take care of myself and stay safe." He laid his head back on the headrest. "She does care."

"Of course she does." Joe agreed from the driver's seat. "Shannon cares about you and Sam cares about dumbass. Somehow you and Shannon will get back together. You'll figure it out. And once Jon stops being such a dumbass we'll figure out why Sam likes him. I sure as hell don't know what she sees in him. He's moody, crass, irritable, rude…"

"Really? Really? Just because I miss Sam you want to call me names?" Jon shouted.

"THANK YOU!" Colby shouted back. "Now that you admitted it, would you PLEASE call the woman and tell her you miss her? Maybe then we can stand to be around you again without plotting to kill your ass?"

"I'd like to see you try." Jon muttered under his breath.

* * *

**_days later, elsewhere in the world…_**

Shannon and Kay were sitting in what passed for their work room. They had two long tables full of print-outs, notes, post-its, pencils, and pens. Desktop computers, laptops, and satellite phones littered the room. "Can't we have one crisis at a time? Just one a day? Is that too much to ask?" one complained. The other stretched backwards in her chair, groaning wordlessly in agreement.

"Have you made any headway?" a man with a lot of bars and medals appeared in the doorway.

"We are making progress, sir. We want to get this right and identify the correct target." Kay answered.

"We need it in time. Work faster." He turned on his heel and walked away.

"So nice to be appreciated."

"Did you send a message to Nick and let him know you would be incommunicado for a while?" Kay asked.

"On my next break. You know we get so many of those." Shannon grumbled. "He's getting ready for the Pay Per View. I hope that I haven't messed up his concentration too badly." she sighed.

"Send him a one-liner and then we can get back to work." Kay suggested.

Shannon used her laptop to log in to her e-mail and quickly sent her message.

Hey,  
Not ignoring you.  
Just busy.  
Please understand.  
Your Milly.

* * *

**_middle of the night, on the road somewhere between Springfield and Chicago_**

Nick was driving the rental car to the hotel after the house show. He had been doing better since receiving Shannon's message earlier in the week, but it had been silent ever since then. Worry was beginning to eat away at him again. Claudio and Sarah assured him that everything would be okay, but seeing the two of them together only made the pain of missing Shannon worse. Nick tightened his grip on the steering wheel in depressed frustration. The sudden dinging sound of his phone made him jump and the man in the passenger seat snatch the phone from the cup holder and out of Nick's reach. "Concentrate on the road, lad. Concentrate on the road." Sheamus' heavy Irish brogue was actually quite comforting as Nick waited to hear the message. "Ya gill says she's not ignoring ye, she's jest busy. Please understan'. She signed it Ya' Milly. Now I thought ya' gill's name twere Shannon. What be it?"

Nick smiled. "That's a funny story." Then he proceeded to share how he spent the first two days around Shannon calling her the wrong name. Then the concussion made him forget that she was Shannon and he went back to calling her Milly.

"That be a sweet thin'. Ya need to hang on ta her." Sheamus said softly.

"Don't I know it."


	13. It's Too Bad the World is So Small

Sam woke up to her e-mail notification dinging repeatedly and in unison with her text message notification. "What in the hell is going on?!" she muttered, grabbing her phone and opening her e-mail. Her eyes widened as she tried to read both messages at the same time. "How in the hell did Shannon find out?" After a few clicks and one heck of a credit card bill later, Sam sent Shannon a reply and headed for the bathroom. She made it to the door when she got a notification of a reply.

We will meet you at Heathrow. Not a word to the guys.

"No kidding. Jon hasn't said a word to me about this. He's got some explaining to do and it's going to happen in person." Sam muttered. "Keeping secrets and costing me a fortune in airfare. Ass." She snatched her suitcase from the top of the closet and began to haphazardly pack. "How am I supposed to know what to pack for a trip to America? I don't even know how long I'm going to be there! All because of this stupid freakin' lunatic. Dammit!" Leaving the suitcase on her bed, she showered and dressed for comfort on a long international flight and the fun of airport inspections. There would be time to dress to impress later. One more cursory glance around the room and Sam was out the door and on her way to the airport for the first leg of her trip.

* * *

Heathrow was crowded as the women converged on the gate for their flight. "Did you reach Torrie?" Sam greeted. Shannon shook her head. "Dammit. She's going to be angry she missed this."

"I e-mailed, texted when I could. Once we got here I called. I can't do any more than that. We only have an hour layover, we can't leave the airport." Shannon threw up her hands in exasperation.

"There's nothing else to be done." Kay agreed. "We need to grab a bite to eat now and try to sleep on the plane."

"There's a plan." Sam said. "By the way, great to see you again!" She tucked her arm through Shannon's and tugged her towards a restaurant. "I've missed you. You too, Kay." As they walked, Sam began her inquisition of Shannon. "How did you find out? Did you hack the WWE? Are you using your skills for evil now?"

"Nope. Nothing that dastardly." Shannon chuckled. "Just smart enough to read into some things that were in an e-mail. I'll show you."

"Wait. So we are running to America on a guess you are making?" Sam nearly shrieked.

Kay put her hand on Sam's shoulder. "First of all, if Shannon made a hypothesis like this, I would trust it. She's rarely off...And those are life and death conclusions that she draws. This is not." Sam nodded once. "Secondly, it's not hard to read between these lines. No secrets are revealed and the message is written in English so she didn't even have to do any translating." Kay pulled Sam close. "This is big. Jon is going to need you after Raw. You know it or you wouldn't have come."

"I know. I know." Sam agreed. "Remind me to call work when it is Monday back home."

* * *

**_Sunday, June 1 – Chicago, Illinois _**

"So what's your next brilliant idea, oh freakin' wise one?" Jon stomped into the shared locker room and threw his bags against the wall.

"What the hell did I do?" Colby asked, holding both hands in front of him in a clearly defensive posture.

"What did your luggage do?" Joe muttered.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Sam's not answering her phone and she hasn't replied to my message. Great call, telling me to contact her." Jon stomped out of the room and down the hall.

"I don't know how much more I can take." Colby said, running his hands through his hair.

"Just hold on. We know why he is acting like this. It has to end soon." Joe sighed.

"Ya think?" Colby asked with raised eyebrows. "I think it is going to get worse."

"And then it's going to be on me." Joe said.

"It's not fair. I think we should still room together, at least until he straightens out. Ease him into this. You can't handle this 24 hours a day, you'll go nuts or you really will kill him."

"We'll figure something out. We have to."

"Look at it this way; we get to beat Evolution tonight. Can't we celebrate that together? Won't that make him happy?" Colby said wistfully.

"He's not great with change, you know that." Joe reminded Colby, his tone gentle as if he was speaking to a young child. "He wants to excel in singles competition but loves having brothers. We know about his lack of family. Having us is…special. He's afraid that he's going to lose us and it doesn't matter what we say. This is just going to take time. Finding Sam was good in some ways but in others the timing was just a little off. It's more intense feelings that confuse him. _And_ she's on the other side of the globe." Both men shook their heads in compassion for their friend and brother.

* * *

**_Payback_**

Sarah sat on the edge of her chair backstage as she watched the United States Championship match unfold. It was so nice that Claudio had suggested she come on the road with him for a few days, but this was the time that she was always the most nervous. He had the Championship and the match was outlined, these men knew what they wanted to do, but accidents happen. Even to professionals like these guys. Sarah tried to hide her dismay as Claudio sank fingers into both of Sheamus' eyes. _How does that not hurt? I just don't see…_

"They are both okay. Take a breath." Sarah turned to the woman at her side. "I'm a nurse with the WWE and Stephen's fiancé, Isabelle." She held out her hand with a small smile. "I know you are with Claudio."

Sarah shook her hand slowly. "I haven't seen you around before. I'm Sarah."

"Been kinda busy with injuries lately and we are short-handed right now. I come out of the hole to watch Ste's matches, though." Isabelle turned back towards the bank of monitors. "He knows what he's doing, but I want to…"

"I get it." Sarah said softly as the women watched Sheamus endure the Cesaro Swing time after time after time. "How hard is it to work and travel together all the time?" she asked as the match began to wind down.

"There are challenges just like there are challenges to keeping a long distance relationship working. Everyone has troubles. Some overcome them and others, others knuckle under." Isabelle patted Sarah's hand and headed for the ramp. As soon as her man was clear of the fans' view he reached for her and held her tight. "Ew, sweat!" she laughed.

"Ya' love it!" His laugh boomed through the backstage area as he carried her away.

Sarah looked for Claudio, only to be surprised by a tap on her shoulder. "I came through the other way." he said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. "Ach, sweetie, I am sweat-covered."

"Yes, sweat-covered, tired, and the man I…" she trailed off and pressed a kiss to his neck.

He captured her chin with his large hand. "And the man you what?" His brown eyes intense and searching hers.

Sarah kissed his thumb tenderly. "The man I want to spend time with." She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the people who were trying to listen to their conversation.

Claudio pulled Sarah flush against his sweat-covered front and whispered into her ear, "That's not what you were going to say. Chicken."

"That's all you are going to get. Now, be nice or you can sleep on the couch."

* * *

Three weary women joined the line of people waiting to check in the hotel lobby. "It is 3 am. Who would believe that this many people want to check in at 3 am in the morning? We aren't the only nuts around." Kay muttered. Shannon smothered a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"De ja vu. This almost exactly what happened when Sarah and I were getting back from vacation and I first met…someone."

"You'll find him. And I'm going to find **him**. It's all going to work out." Sam said confidently.

"I hope you are right." They moved forward and got their room keys. Three rooms, side by side. They headed for the elevator with their luggage. The doors opened. They walked on, pushed the button for the fourth floor, and watched as the doors closed.

"Did you see?" Nick grabbed ahold of Jon.

"Was that?" Jon asked Nick.

"That's impossible. There's no way that Sam flew to the states without saying anything to me." Jon shook his head.

"Who knows where Shannon is. I have got to be exhausted and I didn't even have a match tonight." Nick smacked himself up beside his head. "Hallucinating visions of Shannon. I am getting desperate now."


	14. It's Too Bad Alcohol Gets Involved

**_Monday morning, June 2_****_nd_****_ – Indianapolis, Indiana_**

Shannon smacked her phone. Repeatedly. She grabbed it and held it at arm's length, contemplating the pros and cons of smashing it against the corner of the bedside table. The knocking at the door stopped her from destroying the device. Yanking open the door, she stood face to face with an equally irritable Kay. "Have you seen the news?"

"No. I've seen the back of my eyelids, something I'd like to still be doing."

"Put on a pot of coffee. I'll turn on the news and fire up your laptop."

"Greeaat." Shannon moaned. As she began the pot of coffee she heard the international news broadcast about the bombing at a football match in Nigeria that killed 40 people. "Is this what the calls and messages are about? What do they want? What are we supposed to do? Wave a magic wand? We can't stop them. We can't bring the innocents back to life. No matter how much we do, no matter what we try, it isn't enough. They keep coming. They keep killing. It doesn't matter whether we are here or there. It doesn't matter how much notice we provide."

Kay grabbed Shannon's shoulders. "You can't think like this. Come on, we have to do what we do and save the ones that we can."

"How? 40 are gone today. Add that to…"

"Stop!" Shannon looked at the tears welling in Kay's eyes.

"I just want to feel like what we are doing is making a difference. That it's not too little, too late." she whispered.

Kay and Shannon wrapped each other in comforting hugs. "I know, I know. We've both been immersed in this for so long…" Kay agreed as their phones began to ring again. "I'll get it."

Shannon could hear Kay's firm and decisive arguing. She joined her friend and put the phone on speaker. "With all due respect, sir, we have both been at this non-stop for months. Kay's been imbedded in the Far East for quite a while. I have worked on the Sochi Olympics both from the home-front and from Russia before you had me in the Ukraine and then Nigeria. We've both seen our fair share of negativity and we need a break. We have to have one. The human mind can only handle so much, sir. And we aren't going to be at the top of our game, which is where you need us. We aren't quitting; send vitals via e-mail. We will take care of it. But we need to decompress."

"You make a valid argument." the commander conceded. "We intercepted something over the wire that we will send you, if you would work on it. For the record, it is documented that you warned of an attack on a sporting event and the locals did not listen. Not that it makes this clusterf…Not that it makes this any better. But we know that you did exactly what you were supposed to. Just keep trying and we can save some." With that he disconnected the call.

Kay's eyes opened wide. "No wonder. We need something stronger than coffee."

"I want to start on this new thing." Shannon said stubbornly.

"We just agreed…" Kay sighed. "Okay. You have a time limit though. Remember why we are here. You are not going to lose yourself in this. You are too close to depression, Shan. And you are so close to Nick. He needs you and you need him. Don't let this job take you." She left the room and headed for Sam. "I'm going to get us some alcohol. Shannon and I need it…Well, Shannon does. She's working on something right now. Can you go sit with her until I get back?"

"Um, sure. I got no idea what you all do, but I can keep an eye on her." Sam agreed. Minutes later Sam was sitting in Shannon's hotel room and Kay was heading out of the hotel in search of an open liquor store.

Not too long after that, Kay was returning to the hotel with both arms full of brown paper bags. "That looks like a party. Isn't it a bit early in the day though?" Kay's face began to flush as she looked up into the face of Seth Rollins standing to the side holding the door open for her.

"Hard day for a friend. Nice to meet you though. And, um, good luck tonight." Kay said softly, looking at the floor. She tried to walk quickly to the elevator and press the 'up' button with her thumb but he was right beside her.

"You are a fan?"

"You could say that."

"So you watch a lot."

"When I am able to. Work prevents me from seeing a lot of the shows." she admitted.

"You can get the Network for only…"

"9.99" they said in unison.

"What floor?" he asked as they entered the elevator.

"The fourth."

"Who is your favorite Shield member?" he asked.

Kay smiled. "I really can't answer that, can I? You are the only one here. If I say anything other than you…"

"Smart answer." he said as the doors opened. He put his hand across the sensor to keep them open. "I didn't catch your name.

"Because I never threw it." Kay leaned towards Seth and whispered. "But if you are the Architect of the Shield and the brightest of the bunch, that shouldn't be a challenge." She stepped off the elevator and waited for the doors to close.

"Well played, well played." Seth murmured, rubbing his chin.

* * *

Colby, Jon, Joe, Nick and Claudio were just wrapping up their Cross Fit work-out when Jon's phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, he wasted no time in answering it.

"Heyyy, Deano!"

"Sam?"

"Yep-pers."

"Are you drunk?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing. The other men couldn't help but gather closer. Sam was drunk and calling Jon? What could this mean?

"Ha! Am I drunk? He wants to know if I am drunk." Jon realized that Sam wasn't talking to him but to someone in the background. She repeated, "He wants to know if I am drunk. Are we drunk?" Now Jon could hear loud, shrill laughter through the phone.

"Sam, sweetheart, where are you?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice. Hysterical laughter answered his question. "SAM! Sam, my darling. Where might you possibly be?"

"Oh, hey, Deano. Thanks for calling. It's about time you called. Did you want to tell me something? Are you keeping secrets from me?"

"Saammmm…" Jon trailed off, beginning to lose his patience. Drawing a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose Jon tried again. "Sam, I would love to talk to you about whatever you would like, but"

"I'ma with the gills."

"You are with the girls? Which girls?" he asked.

"Um…Let's see…Shannon…Kay…Isabelle…Sarah…Oh, that's me! He, he, hee! And Sam's here, too!" she giggled.

"How much have you had to drink, babe?" Claudio asked.

"Where are they?" Jon whispered frantically.

"Oh, we've had a lot." Sarah sighed.

Colby waved both of his hands and then held up four fingers. At the questioning looks he got, he whispered, "Fourth floor. They are on the fourth floor. Ask them what room."

Claudio asked, "Sarah, my dear. You are in room four…"

"Four…Twooo…No. Four…Three…Nope, that's not right either. I donno."

The sound of a door closing caught the attention of the men. Nick had both hands full of bags and was on the sidewalk outside the building headed for the car. Looking down they realized he had grabbed their things without them noticing. All four ran after him, not wanting to get left behind. Jon and Claudio continued talking to Sam and Sarah for the entire – very short – ride to the hotel. Each man grabbed his own bag as they tromped through the lobby and into the elevator. Reaching the fourth floor, Claudio and Jon hung back slightly and continued to talk as the other men prowled down the hall pausing at each door to listen for the laughter they knew the women would be causing. Finally Nick stopped and pounded on the door. Jon and Claudio heard it echo through their phones and ran down the hall.

"Did you hear som-thin'?" one of the women whispered.

"Som-one's at the door." another whispered.

"They don' sound vewy happy!" a third giggled. "I sound like Elmer Fudd!"

The pounding began again. This time it was three fists and three voices. "Open the damn door!"

"Uh, oh! That sounded like Dean."

"Nope. That soun-ded like Nick."

"No way. That was Cl…Clau…That was C. And he's **not** happy with me." Sarah said, ending on a belch that sent the women into hysterics again.

Nick's head thumped against the door in frustration. "Shannon, sweetheart, please open the door. I just want to see you. Can you please open the door?" The men were almost relieved to hear the locks turning. At least the women had the presence of mind to be safe in their inebriation. The door opened a slight crack. Fighting every instinct that said to plow forward, Nick inched the door open and slid inside scooping Shannon off the floor. Once she was clear of the doorway, Jon raced in and swooped Sam into a huge hug. Claudio captured Sarah in his arms. Isabelle slid out of the room un-noticed, headed for her fiancé. Colby headed for Kay, capturing her cheeks in his large hands.

"Found you." he whispered. A small smile played across his face. "Not only did I find you and your friends, _Kay_, but I'm going to keep your eyes from seeing parts of them that you probably don't want to see right now." He slid one hand into her hair and pressed her head to his chest as he pulled her towards the doorway.

"Where we goin'?" Kay asked. Once in the hall, she realized that she shouldn't go to his room with him. Instead, Kay took Colby to her room just a few doors down.

Colby started a pot of coffee. "I've got a big night tonight and you need to sober up. We can talk and get to know each other. With our friends being more than friends we are going to see each other in the future…" he explained just before Kay shoved him against the wall and planted one heck of a kiss on his lips…

#%^#%^

Claudio held Sarah in his arms, whispering in her ear. "What were you thinking?"

"They are my friends. Serious stuff. Need to bury the feelings. I helped. 'sokay." she slurred.

"It's barely noon! You drank your lunch!" Fury laced his voice.

"We's all back t'gether. Shan's here. She's 'ere." Sarah looked up at Claudio with teary bleary eyes. Claudio realized that whatever had transpired between the women was heavy and his girlfriend had drunk herself into oblivion because of the turmoil that existed with the other women. Sisterhood to the end…The way he would and had worked out with and sat up all night with the two men that remained in the room.

Lifting Sarah into his arms easily, he whispered in her ear as he carried her to their room, "Everything will be okay, meine liebe. Ihr mann will take care of everything."

#%^#%^

Nick carried Shannon to the bed and laid down facing her, caressing her face and just looking at her…mesmerized. Shannon curled her hands against his chest and blinked repeatedly before whispering, "You are here. Really here."

"I am here. I'm not leaving this time." he promised.

"Bbut…" she stuttered.

"Shh." He put a finger against her lips. "I just want to hold you right now. Whatever is going on, whatever is causing this pain, I am here. Let me hold you through it." Shannon curled into Nick's body and began to cry.

#%^#%^

Sam wiggled in the vise-like hold that surrounded her rib cage. "Can't breathe!" she gasped.

"Should have thought of that before you drunk called me." Jon growled, sitting her on the desk and standing between her knees. "You have no idea the panic you put me through, do you?" he asked, his hands clenching her hips. "Since when do you drink? I've never…" Sam leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his mouth, shushing the rant that was flowing. Jon broke the kiss and kept their foreheads touching. "I was worried. You wouldn't answer when I asked where you were. I thought I saw you last night but I wasn't sure. Were you drunk here or were you home? Could I get to you or not?" Sam could feel him trembling. Peeking over his shoulder, she could see Nick holding Shannon as she cried. Nodding to Nick, Sam slid from the desk and pulled Jon from the room. "Where are we going?"

Sam shut the door tightly behind them. Pulling her room key from her back pocket she explained, "My room is next door."

Jon pulled her flush against his body. "What are we waiting for?"

Sam shook her head. "Just one thing…An explanation."

"A what? Okay. Why did you get stone-rolling drunk?"

"Nope. Why are you keeping secrets from me?" Sam put one finger on his chest. "Why do you think I traveled all the way to the US? And made sure I was here **_today_**? I **_know_**, okay? I already know. And you didn't tell me. That shit hurts. My friend hurts and my…whatever you are is keeping secrets. So yeah, for once in my life I got drunk." Sam headed down the hall to her door.

As she slid the key in the lock, Jon's hand covered hers. His warm breath blew against her hair as his voice was barely discernable. "I don't know how you know. I can only guess with friends like yours there are very few secrets in this world. All I can say is that I am glad you are here. I would be glad you were here with me any day," His other hand crept around to touch her waist. "But to have you here today, on a day that is planned but emotional and tumultuous…it means a lot, Sam. I couldn't ask you…I couldn't tell…" He pulled her back against him again, burying his face against her neck.

Sam extended her other hand to caress the top of his head. Jon groaned against her skin, opening his mouth and sliding his tongue along a pulse point he found there. "Dean…Jon…"she whispered. "We are still in the hall." Using her hand, he unlocked the door and then slid the key into her rear jean pocket before kicking the door shut and picking her up and pressing her against the wall with a fierce kiss. Sam squeezed around his waist as she felt the room spin round and round before she felt the solid mattress at her back and the warmth of Jon's chest pressed to her front. Then the couple was on the same wavelength.

meine liebe – my love

ihr mann – your man


	15. It's Too Bad This is RAW

Joe pulled the SUV up to the Banker's Life Fieldhouse arena entrance. Jon and Colby climbed out and pulled their gear from the back. Sam and Kay almost slid from the automobile. The men wisely ducked their heads, hiding their smiles. As they started towards the door, a second SUV pulled in. Nick , Claudio, and Stephen climbed out of the vehicle that was almost vibrating with sound. "What are you doing?" Roman asked.

"We wanted to listen to some metal music on the way here." Stephen explained.

"Cruel, cruel." Kay shook her head.

Shannon and Sarah nearly fell to the pavement. "Poor things." Sam crooned, trying to help one of her friends stand.

"Live and learn." Claudio explained.

"Kinda harsh." Seth agreed with the women, putting his arm around Kay. "I'd never do that to you." he whispered.

"Suck up."

Eventually everyone made their way inside the building. The Shield headed for their locker room with their girlfriends, who were looking for some quiet and dark corners to hide in, and the other men headed for the men's locker room. Isabelle was off to do her job in the WWE infirmary, hoping that she wouldn't see any of the guys tonight. Before the show, they met back up in catering and made sure the women ate. Happy to see some color back in their cheeks and a little less gray around the edges, the men's fears of projectile vomiting were lessening by the hour.

"It's time!" a runner came racing through the room.

"Are you ready to watch the craziness?" Seth asked Kay, who nodded shyly. Taking her hand he led her to the production area backstage so she could see how the workers made the magic happen. They watched Evolution cut a wicked promo in the ring and Batista rant until he finally said the magic words. He quit. Kay looked around, so entranced by the show that she failed to realize that Colby had left her side until she realized that she had been in the ring for quite a while.

"This is so awesome." she whispered. "You get so into the story you forget that it is just a story. It seems so real."

"But it is a story. It is planned, a fictional story. What happens in the ring shouldn't affect real-life friendships." Joe reminded those in earshot, including Kay and Jon who nodded in somber understanding.

The tension backstage increased as the night progressed. Sheamus, RVD, Wade Barrett, and Cesaro gathered near the entrance to prepare for their match. Isabelle and Sarah waited in the wings, watching their men stretch and talk about the match. Shannon and Kay stood with them, assuring their friends it would be okay with quiet certainty. Sarah whispered "There's just this feeling…"

Isabelle clapped her hand over Sarah's mouth. "We don't ever speak of it. Ever. If we ever feel it, we don't share it. They only hear of our unwavering confidence." Sarah nodded and squared her shoulders. When Cesaro looked over to her, she blew him a kiss with a wink of her eye. His bright smile was her reward. "See? That's what he needs. Your confidence. Now we watch together. If the unspoken happens, we have each other and we hold them. That's what a relationship in this industry means."

The women remained in position as Sheamus and RVD defeated Bad News Barrett and Cesaro. When Wade came through the curtain, he was greeted by taps on the arm and quiet "Good job" "Quality Match" compliments that he acknowledged with a nod and a wave. When his partner entered the backstage area, Sarah let loose a tiny gasp before launching herself into his arms.

Catching her with a small groan, he said "It's okay, _engelein_. It's just a small cut."

Sarah shrieked. "You're hurt?!" She pulled free from Claudio's arms and began inspecting him, looking for the injury. The man had his hands full and eventually gave up trying to control her as she slapped at his hands while looking for a life-threatening and devastating blow while pulling him down the hall towards the triage/infirmary. Glancing back over his shoulder with a glare, he saw the other women smothering their laughter behind their hands, knowing that Sarah was extremely over-reacting.

Shannon shrugged her shoulders as she turned to greet Nick who was approaching with Alberto del Rio for their match. "Are you tormenting C?" he asked.

"Nope. Just watching Sarah freak-out over a scratch she didn't realize he had. I think she's going to wrap him up like a mummy once they get to Dr. Amann."

"There's no saving him." Kay laughed.

Isabelle tapped her foot as she waited impatiently for her fiancé. "She's been around enough to know…and she's a nurse."

"But when it's your…" Shannon began.

"True." Isabelle agreed.

Alberto looked at Shannon. "And you are?"

Shannon got an evil grin on her face as she glanced at Nick. "That depends. If you were in Baltimore a few months ago, you might know me as Milly from the Name Game."

Nick blushed as he groaned, "Shannon! You know damn well…"

Isabelle's laughter drowned him out. "I remember that night! **You** were the Milly he was looking for? He would not shut up about Milly. 'Milly this' and 'Milly that' and then the Name Game started. Oh man, I won't forget that night!"

"No one will!" Alberto chuckled. "Everyone backstage could hear him singing. We were worried that his voice would carry out to the audience. He was loud!"

"Yeah, yeah. So funny." Nick muttered. Shannon wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed the underside of his jaw.

"I stayed with you, didn't I? Even if you kept calling me the wrong name." A runner signaled that it was time. "I'll be right here, waiting." she promised with another kiss.

Isabelle disappeared as Shannon became entranced with the match. She held her breath through the disappointment of Dolph Ziggler tapping out to Alberto del Rio in the Money in the Bank Qualifying Match. When her man came backstage she greeted him proudly and with open arms. He smiled tiredly and was glad that she looked happy. He knew the outcome before he'd gone into the match. If she had looked disheartened, it would have cut deep. He didn't want to disappoint her anymore. Now that the match was over, he could shower and have the heart-to-heart that they so desperately needed. Something was bothering her and he needed to get to the bottom of it. He needed her whole, whatever it took to get her there. Ignoring the sweat slicking his body, he scooped her up and kissed her before heading for the locker room. "It's so damn wonderful to have you here." he whispered into her hair.

It was the climax of the night. The face-off between The Shield and The Authority. Sam and Kay stood side by side at the monitors in the area known as 'gorilla' just backstage. Sam's hands were folded in front of her mouth as she held her breath. Kay crossed her arms over her middle. The stand-off in the ring was tense. Then Triple H yelled that fated phrase, "There's always a Plan B!" Seth stepped back behind his brothers and delivered the first 'unexpected' blow.

When Dean hit the mat, Sam's knees hit the floor. Kay knelt beside her, clinging to her shoulders. With each smack of the chair, tears streamed down the women's cheeks. They didn't even notice when Isabelle came to find them, trying to get them off the floor. Stephen was with her but neither could budge the crying women. "It's planned. Remember, it's planned." Isabelle whispered.

"They are still friends." Stephen assured them.

After a particularly hard whack, Sam whimpered. Kay whispered, "I'm not so sure about that."

Seth joined The Authority as they came backstage. He was surprised when he found Kay on the floor with Sam, crying. "You know this is planned, right?" he asked, trying to pull her off of the floor.

"But those chair shots…you hit your friends. You actually hit them." Kay said with more tears flowing. Dean and Roman limped backstage. Sam leapt up from the floor and tucked herself under Dean's under arm. He tried not to lean on her too much but was grateful for her support. Seth backed out of the way. "You actually hurt your friends. How could you?"

"Kay?" Seth asked, following her as she walked away.

"Are you okay?" Sam murmured to Dean.

"Just help us to Doc." he grudgingly admitted as Isabelle started to reach for Roman only to be moved out of the way by Stephen. Isabella carefully separated Roman and Dean, helping Roman to the infirmary. "He's worse off than I am."

"I've got you." Sam whispered. "I'm not leaving you. It's why I came."

"I know. I know." Dean leaned into Sam even more.

German translation:  
engelein - angel


	16. It's Too Bad Post-Raw Conversations

Sam stood at the end of the bed wringing her hands. _Who would believe that Dean Ambrose would be in one of my bed hotel beds and Roman Reigns would be in the other? Of course, they can barely move. Poor Joe. His back is all torn up. I just don't see how I can curl up with Jon, either. Those bruises and scrapes… _she thought. The edge of the sheet rose slightly along with the opening of one of Jon's eyes. Sam tiptoed to the bathroom and got ready for bed before carefully sliding in on the side Jon had motioned. He curled his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You have no idea how glad I am that you are here." She kissed his thumb and cuddled into him. "Just be, Sam. Just be." She drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"It's the storyline, Kay. They knew it was coming. We talked about it." The man driving the car explained again. The woman in the passenger seat continued to stare out the window with her arms crossed. "You have to believe me. I wouldn't hurt my friends, my brothers like that."

"I call bullshit. I watched, I saw it happen. I saw them come backstage. Those weren't fake injuries. **You ****_hurt_**** them.** Own it. Live with it." Kay snarled at him before turning to stare out the window again. The man with bi-colored hair gripped the steering wheel harder as they made the rest of the drive in silence.

The couple walked into the hotel in Cincinnati still not speaking to one another. He wanted to make her understand the essence of the storyline. She wanted to make him understand the value and importance of friendship – nothing mattered more.

* * *

Nick's grip on Shannon's hand was firm. He steered the car with one hand and kept his eyes on the road, lifting her hand to his lips as he drove to press a kiss to the back of her hand. "You know how much I missed you and how much I…care about you?" Shannon squeezed his fingers in response. "Earlier today I just wanted to hold you; we were finally back together. You were drunk out of your mind. Just so you know, Shannon, you scared the hell out of me." When she started to speak, he cut her off. "You can explain the why and the details later. That rabbit hole we can skip for now." He kissed her hand again, still not taking his eyes from the road. "I want to go back to January. Back to the day I left. You knew I wanted to drive up to meet the WWE and stay with them on the international tour. You knew I was concerned about my push. I figured you would understand. I promised to call, to keep in touch. All I gave you was two calls. One to say I got to Buffalo and one to say I was in Quebec. Yes, I remember. I remember and for the life of me I cannot explain why that's all you got from me." Shannon looked at Nick and could tell he was sincere. Shannon tried to speak again but Nick kept talking. "Did you know that I came to your apartment for Valentine's Day? I had dinner reservations, roses, and a suit. Your neighbor saw me."

"The only thing you forgot was me." Shannon whispered.

Nick clutched her hand tighter, making her bones ache. "I never forgot you. I lost my way for a little while but I never forgot you." He glanced over at her and she saw the sorrow in his eyes. "Claudio opened my eyes to my stupidity, thinking that the sun rose and set on my ass. When I tried to fix it, it was too late. The damage was done and you were gone. I didn't have a way to contact you once you were gone. I had no idea where you were or what you were doing. All I knew was that the people that did know were **_PISSED_** and blamed me. Sam. Oh, Sam is one of a kind. She can tear anyone a new one, can't she? I have never felt so low as when she got done with me. But she is also the only one that was willing to give me your e-mail. I had to prove to her that I meant what I said, sit with her and tell her what I would say to you if I had the chance before she would relent."

"Sam lost it when I didn't reply to you. She really championed your cause." Shannon rubbed Nick's hand with her other one.

He chuckled. "Sam? After all the hoops she made me jump through?" Shannon giggled. "All your friends were worried about you but at least they heard something. All that time…" Nick shook his head. "I was at the point that I would have done anything, Shannon. If you had named a location, I would have shown up. I know the distance was my fault. I meant every word of that e-mail, hon. If I hadn't left, if we had gotten this relationship started right, I would have spent all of my off days with you. We would have Skyped while I was traveling. You could have traveled the way Sarah does. You would have been state-side and safe instead of wherever you were. We would have been solid instead of whatever we are now."

"I have to argue that point. It would have taken two to make this relationship work. It took both of us to let it get this bad. If I had given you my cell instead of my home number or if I had let my friends give you my contact information; I told them not to let you know any of it. I have to shoulder some of this blame." Shannon continued rubbing Nick's hand, trying to alleviate some of the tension that was evident. "I ran, Nick. I ran far, far away. Given the option, I chose to go in the field instead of staying home. I started in Sochi at the Olympic games. Then I went to some more…unsecure locations with military protection. As a privately contracted linguistic code-breaker, I can go to many places with and without our country's military. I have a lot of freedoms. The military can request my help and can contract my help, so can private companies."

"But you mainly work with the military."

"Yes. With my skill set, working with the military usually gives me the best avenue of saving lives. That is how I can make a difference in the world."

"Alright…We are in the rabbit hole." Nick sighed, rubbing his thumb over her hand as he spoke. "Sam said that as a linguistic code-breaker you have to know a lot of different languages and solve a lot of puzzles. What else did she say?" he mumbled to himself. "She said you were good a problem solving, puzzles, and languages and that you use all of that to break codes and that you were in Baghdad, the Ukraine, or Nigeria. Those places all freak me out, Shannon. They are all bad. Bad, violent places." Nick's grip started to tighten again. "Thinking of you in any of them…The only way I have been able to sleep was holding a pillow and pretending it was you. I told you in that e-mail that I would wrap my arms around you and keep you safe. I have wrapped my arms around a pillow…" Shannon saw tears gathering in Nick's eyes.

"Nick, honey, baby…Nicky…I told you that reading that e-mail made me cry. I curled up and sobbed. I wished the same thing, to be wrapped in your arms. I wished that everything you had written could have been true. But we cannot rewrite the past and we cannot live in a dream world. We live in reality. I had to do what I was there to do. Did I save everyone? No. Did some people get saved? Maybe. Did they get the perpetrators? Yes. I have to find solace in that. I read and reread your e-mail. Like you, I curled up to sleep with my imagination firmly in hand. It was when I found out about tonight that I mobilized the girls. Kay didn't really understand but she's a fan. Sam had some kind of connection with Jon. And we tried to get in touch with another friend but missed her on our international connections. Knowing what was going to happen, we wanted to be here with you guys. It was a reason for me to come back state-side to you and for Sam to be here for Jon." Shannon took a deep breath and then another one. "It was this morning in the hotel room that I got another call. More work to do. It hit me hard. I kinda broke down and the girls sat with me."

"Kinda?" Nick repeated.

"Kinda. Not completely. Kay talked some sense into me and Sam sat with me while I worked. Isabella joined the 'Keep an Eye on Shan so She Doesn't Crack' Watch. When I did what I needed to do and sent it off, we cracked open the alcohol and got a little tanked."

"A little?"

"Okay, we got rip-roaring drunk. And it felt goooooood!" Shannon laughed.

"I'm sure it did. But when you feel that crappy and you are that close to me, I want to be the one you turn to. I don't care if you can tell me the particulars. Tell me work sucks. Tell me you need a hug. Tell me something. I want to be the man you turn to. I want to be…"

"You were." Shannon whispered tearfully. "I didn't have to call you. You were there. You picked me up and put me to bed. You held me. You promised not to let me go and you held me while I slept off the alcohol."

"We are getting on the same page. Communication is huge and we are talking, using this car ride time very well." Nick kissed the back of her hand again. "I made you a promise in January that I failed to keep. I make that promise again – I will call and Skype but more importantly, when we have to part we will be back together because I will not let you go. I'm not losing you again. I promise."

"Relationships take two people, Nick. We are on the right path, the same page. Like you said, we are talking which is so much better than e-mail." Shannon said tenderly.

The couple settled in for the rest of the ride to Cincinnati, talking and getting to know each other better. Nick did not give up Shannon's hand. The periodic kisses that wound around the back of her hand to her inner wrist.

* * *

Colby tried one more time. "Kay, let's not go to sleep angry. This is a storyline and you know that. You came back to the US mainland because you all knew about the break-up. Why can't you understand…"

Kay whirled to glare at the former Shield member. "You think I can't differentiate between a storyline and reality? Really?" She stomped across the room and poked him in the center of his chest. "You arrogant ass! You pig-headed pin-head! I **_told_** you that I was angry that you HIT your friends! You didn't pull those shots, you HIT them with the freakin' chair! That's why I am p*ssed off!"

"They knew it was coming! We planned the match!"

"It wasn't a match! It was a beating! Did you even look at what you did to them? Did you see the marks you left on them? Do you care?" His chest was heaving at her accusations. He wrapped her finger with one of his to gently brush it away. "How about this one, _darling_. Have you checked on these _brothers _of yours since this incident?" His eyes widened. "I didn't think so."

Kay snagged a pillow and a blanket. "What are you doing?" She threw them on the sofa.

"I am sleeping on the sofa. I've slept on cots for months. The sofa will be better than they were." Kay retreated to the bathroom and locked the door, leaving a fuming man storming around the room. When she finally came out, the room was dark and she quietly curled up on the sofa.

"This isn't how it works." Kay was carefully lifted and gently moved to the bed. Ever so slowly he maneuvered behind her, sliding his arm around her waist and his nose to the back of her head. "Everyone else is going to turn against me. I need you, Kay. I need one person to understand, even if this is just a storyline. You were supposed to understand, to stand beside me. You were supposed to be different. I need you to be different." Holding her close, he closed his eyes and hoped for sleep.

* * *

Sam couldn't breathe. The band around her waist was being tightening, squeezing like a vise. Whimpers from the man holding her and from the other bed broke her heart. "Jon. Jon." She tried to wake the sleeping man but he was caught in his dream world. "JON!" she gasped. He awoke to hear the svelte blonde gasping for air as he clutched her about the waist like a toddler clings to his well-worn teddy bear during a nightmare or a young child twists their thread-bare blanky during a scary movie.

Immediately releasing her from his grip, Sam drew a few quick shallow breaths followed by one deep breath. "I am so sorry." he apologized.

"I am here for you." she assured him with a gentle kiss before rolling out of bed and approaching the other bed cautiously. The other man in the room was whimpering. Was it in physical pain or memory from the match? Her boyfriend's hand weighed heavily on her shoulder as she reached down to stroke the long Samoan hair gently. "Shh…Easy, big man. Easy. You are not alone. We are here with you." She rubbed her fingers down his cheek gently watching his eyes flutter open with a groan.

"Sam's got us both. We've got each other's backs and Sam's here with us. We'll be okay. We'll be okay." the mop-headed blonde assured his injured brother.


	17. It's Too Bad It's Tuesday Morning

**_in Cincinnati, Ohio_**

Isabella woke up Tuesday morning to a groaning fiancé. "What's wrong?" she whispered, rolling to her side and touching his shoulder softly. "It's me back an' me neck. Ah canna' believe Cesaro stretched me body like tha'. It bloody well hurts."

Isabella hid her smirk in her bicep as she leaned up on her elbow. "It's such a shame you don't know a nurse that could help massage and rub those kinks out. Poor babe…" Stephen raised one ginger-colored eyebrow as he mock-glared at her. "Don't you give me that look. You were the one groaning and moaning instead of asking nicely." She pretended to roll to the other side of the bed to get up, moving slowly so she was easy to stop.

"Mah 'belle, wouldya be so kind as ta take pity on ya poor, poor lad and rub me down? T'would be such a kind and thoughtful gesture tha' could reap such a grand reward." The way he wiggled his brows made Isabella giggle as she shoved him over.

"Get on your belly, you goof." She straddled his waist and began to work on his sore muscles. "You have to say something if it hurts too much. Don't tough it out." The man below her did not complain he enjoyed every moment of the treatment he received. From a professional standpoint, Isabella recognized that Stephen shouldn't compete at SmackDown. His muscles were seizing up and needed a rest. She knew he wouldn't be happy but it was a call that she had to make. Better to miss one night now than to tear something and miss an extended period later. Keeping this decision to herself, she let her fiancé's desire to thank her for her…deep and thorough massage take place before they headed for the shower together. _Who is going to argue that I don't make wise decisions? I know what is in __**my**__ best interest! D*mn, that man is fine!_ Isabella thought as she watched a pale white rear disappear into the shower stall.

* * *

**_in Indianapolis, Indiana_**

Sam untangled herself from Jon once again. It had been a long night and no one in the room had slept much at all. She was giving thanks that the rest of the roster had gone on so there was very little chance of getting disturbed. The only problem was Sam was all alone with two injured and extremely grumpy men in a foreign country. _Did I really think this through? Jon had better appreciate this!_ She made sure she had the room key and some money before she left the room.

Within a half hour, Sam returned with four trays of food and a tray that she had fashioned into a cup carrier so she could bring coffee back to the room. Facing the door she realized that both hands were full and she couldn't reach her back pocket for the key. She couldn't set the Styrofoam trays down without dropping the top one that was precariously balanced and holding the coffee. What a conundrum! Hoping that one of the men was awake, she gently tapped her toe against the bottom of the door. Seconds later the door flew open. "Where were you? You didn't answer your phone!" Jon was almost frantic before he took in the trays she was holding.

"Can I set these down first?" Sam said with a smile.

"Do I smell coffee?" a deep voice rumbled. "Jon, I love your girlfriend."

"Touch her and die." Jon's gravelly voice dropped an octave lower than usual.

"Boys!" Sam shook her head again. "Coffee for both of you." She handed them each a cup and then a tray of food. "I wasn't sure what you'd want for breakfast from the buffet, so you have a hodgepodge of stuff. Enjoy and behave." She took her tray over by the window and curled up to eat in quiet.

"We have off until next Monday, thanks to the beating we got last night. Any ideas where we can go to lay low?" Jon asked through his mouth full of BLT.

Joe was working his way through waffles when he said, "How about my place in Pensacola? There's room for all of us and you know my family would love to see you again."

* * *

**_in Cincinnati, Ohio_**

A droning snore woke Kay from her slumber. After a few moments, she recalled the events of the night before and thought _I went to sleep on the sofa because I didn't want to share a bed with Seth…Colby…It doesn't matter what I call him. The man that I spend time with, the man that I give my body to cannot be a man that turns on people he cares about like that. I don't want to hear some crappy excuse. Yeah, maybe they have a storyline to follow and maybe he was told to betray them, but he wasn't told to hit them so freaking hard! I know, I know…He looked like a kicked puppy when people backstage were so mad at him and when I refused to talk to him I thought he was going to cry but he has to know, he has to understand…_ Kay paused her thinking as she realized something. Something that was in her subconscious. _Colby was affected by me, __**me**_ _turning away from him. He needs me. Storyline or not, he needs me by his side. I have to be there for him and be his safe harbor. He needs someone. Things are going to get rough and it doesn't look like he's going to get much support._ She felt him shift behind her and tighten his grip around her waist. He buried his nose further into her hair and breathed heavily as he slept. _He took care of me last night, even though I had been so rotten to him. I am in this comfortable bed and in his arms instead of that cold, lumpy, short sofa. _Kay sucked in and made herself as tiny as possible so she could spin in his arms. Attempting the 180 was a challenge because Colby kept moving, but Kay was determined and would not be stopped. By the time his eyes opened, Kay managed to be able to face him. "We need to talk."


	18. It's Too Bad We're Getting Ready for SD

**_I own no one that you recognize! (But I wish they would visit every once in a while. The things we could do together...)_**

* * *

**_Tuesday morning in Cincinnati, Ohio_**

Colby's brown eyes looked warily into Kay's. She could tell he was preparing himself to hear another barrage of questioning his motive for turning on his brothers and best friends. Kay slid one hand up his chest and the other into his hair, brushing it off of his temple so it did not hide his face at all. She felt every trembling breath and saw every flare of his nostrils. "I said a lot last night, Colby. A lot that I shouldn't have. I was upset because I saw the physical injuries of two men and saw how it affected one of my friends. I should have thought about you and how this affected you, because it has." She kept caressing his head as the thumping of his heart seemed to increase against her palm. Tears began to well in her eyes. "Maybe I am late, but I am here if you want to talk. Whatever you need, Colby."

He swallowed hard before whispering in a scratchy morning voice, "What changed?"

"Soul searching in the early morning hours." She looked directly into his eyes. There was no hiding, she was laying it on the line for him. "You needed me when everyone else turned their backs on you for a storyline. Yes, I get that it is a story and that it was pre-planned. I understand that this is going to be on-going for a while and that if you had any say in it that it wasn't easy for you. I also know that you may not have had a say in it at all, that you may have done what you were told to do and just have to suffer the consequences. I failed in standing by your side, where I should have been. You shouldn't have been alone or felt alone." She paused and drew a shaky breath of her own. "I went to sleep on the sofa with a light blanket over me. I woke up wrapped in your arms feeling toasty, warm, secure, and loved. Despite shutting you out when you needed me, you made sure that I didn't feel the same way. That says a lot about you, the man. I need…" Kay's voice broke as she choked back tears. Colby's arms tightened around her as he tried to pull her close but she pushed against his chest, determined to finish her thought. Clearing her throat she started again. "I need to make sure that you feel the same way with me. That you know you are safe and secure around me, you feel warm in my arms, and you feel…" This time the last word was swallowed by Colby's mouth as he rolled on top of Kay, kissing her quiet.

Moans, groans, whispers, and demands of "more," "harder, "yes," "right there," were the only sounds that filled the room. Then the couple drifted off to sleep together, murmuring "I love you" to each other but neither one heard the other's softly spoken proclamation.

* * *

**_leaving Indianapolis, Indiana_**

Sam flopped on a chair with her feet sprawled in front of her rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes. She knew she was in minutes of pulling her hair out or using her fingernails to gouge out her eyeballs. _If these two cranky pains in the arse don't figure out how to stop complaining for TWO SECONDS…__**SERIOUSLY**__! _She felt a suitcase land next to her foot and a body land next to her. Preparing for whatever came next, she stuck a knuckle in her mouth and bit lightly. "Can you believe that? First those PSA people search me like I am smuggling something from Indianapolis to Pensacola. Then the PMS crew searches Joe's luggage and now his suitcase latch is acting up. What else can you expect from a group called PMS? The men's bathroom smells. I'm hungry."

From further away she heard, "I want something to drink and this seat is too hard. It is also too small. Don't they know that big men fly, too? D*mn, my back hurts."

Closing her lips around her knuckle, Sam muffled her quiet screech. Both men stopped talking and looked at her with wide eyes. "Stop your stupid complaining! I know you are both sore and uncomfortable. I didn't agree to this trip – to Pensacola or to America – to sit and listen to you two whine and complain like toddlers for hours on end! And it's TSA not PSA or PMS and you know that, Jon. They are doing their job. Get over it. If you are hungry, ask nicely and I will get you something to eat. Complain like little brats and I will go sit by myself. I got you breakfast so you wouldn't be recognized and wouldn't have to move too much, ya think I'm going to toss ya to the wolves now? D*mn stupid whiny crybabies." Sam grabbed her suitcase and stomped over to an empty row of seats in another corner of the waiting area.

Jon and Joe looked at each other. "Were we really that bad?"

"I didn't think so. But she is angry." Joe said.

"I know, I know. And all I can think is 'D*mn, Sam looks HOT!' I don't think she'd really like to hear that right now though." Jon muttered.

"Ah, no. Not the time." Joe tried to smother a chuckle as he saw Sam glaring in their direction. "Maybe we should divide and conquer. One go with her and one get some grub."

Jon shook his head. "I heard her loud and clear. If we risk getting recognized she'll get even more p*ssed. As gorgeous as she looks angry, I don't want to risk her wrath when there isn't a bed nearby." Both men were grinning as they approached the unhappy woman.

* * *

**_US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio_**

"What do yeh mean, ah'm not on SmackDown tonight?" Stephen thundered as he paced in the infirmary.

"You are stiff and can barely move. You need a night to recuperate."

"BAH! Ah nee' ta be in thee ring!" His voice echoed through the room. "BELLA! BELLA! Ya come an' tell them…"

"Stephen, sweetheart, take the night. Try to understand that one night is better than extended time off." Isabelle said from the back corner of the room.

"Ya too? Yeh, supposed ta have me back no matter what." Isabelle could hear the disappointment and fury in his voice before he stormed out of the room.

* * *

Nick paced behind a table in the back corner of catering. The Pay Per View had been marvelous and RAW had been a thing of beauty but tonight, tonight could be a table-setter with Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins facing off in the opening match. He knew he could handle the pressure, the mantle that he was being given, but he was nervous about the new state of his relationship with Shannon. The additional requirements of his job and whatever she was facing would make this challenging.

"Stop worrying so much." A gentle hand on his hip caught his attention. "You have this. You were made for tonight. I have faith in you." Nick looked down into Shannon's shining eyes and smiled.

"I know I do. Seth and I will be fine. You and I will be fine." He sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Shannon leaned into his embrace, kissing his cheek. "That's just what I needed.

"Well don't these two love-birds look so cozy." Claudio said with a laugh as he sat down and pulled Sarah onto his lap.

"You are a fine one to talk." Nick replied with a laugh.

"Hey, now. Leave my man alone. He got injured last night." Sarah said as she fed her man a bite of shrimp from their shared plate. Shannon shook her head at her friend who knew all about nursing and yet over-reacted to the little scratch on her boyfriend's forehead.

Nick whispered into Shannon's ear, "I am so glad you don't act like that. Stay just the way you are." Shannon rubbed Nick's thigh, drawing a groan from the man. "You are wicked, woman. So, so wicked. You know I wear tiny trunks."

"Not my problem." Shannon's wicked smile let everyone know she knew exactly what she'd done and she wasn't sorry for it at all. "Be nice to my friends or there will be repercussions."

"That was evil. Plain evil." Nick dropped his head to the table. "Sarah, I am sorry."

Sarah laughed. "Never cross Shannon. It's a primary rule in life."


	19. It's Too Bad It's SmackDown

**I still don't own anything related to the WWE. If I did, we all know that a bunch of the ladies on here would have much nicer pay checks as WWE writers...I don't, so they don't, so we get the story lines they give us. It is what it is and the Universe reacts by booing Roman at the Royal Rumble. The Rock is mad. Roman's feelings are hurt. No one wins. **

**The muse went quiet on this story for a while. She woke up! PunksBaby...enjoy!**

* * *

The pyro shot off signifying the start of SmackDown. It didn't take Triple H and Seth Rollins long to strut down to the ring to explain to the WWE Universe that they were smarter than everyone else in the locker-room, stands, and watching on television. Kay sat backstage in a separate room that Colby had arranged for her, with her hands twisting near her face.

"So everybody wants an explanation?" She watched him glare. She watched the muscles jump in his cheek. She saw the hardness in his eyes. He was in character but he was diving into the real feelings of the man. "You want to know why I did what I did to my 'brothers' on Monday night." He drew a deep breath. "So let me tell you…That the only person who knows why I did what I did on Monday and the only person who needs to know and the only person that I owe anything to…is…me." He lowered the microphone and said something to Triple H as tears welled in Kay's eyes. She reminded herself - _He is in character. That is Seth Rollins. Colby is yours and you two are solid. When he gets back here the two of you will hug and be fine. Seth has to be an ass. That's who the character is and will be. Don't get caught in the character. Chin up. Watch the match._

The crowd went ballistic as Dolph Ziggler came out and had a chat with Seth from the stage while Seth and Hunter stood in the ring. Dolph told Seth that he was a "sell out", which immediately caught on with the WWE crowd in attendance. The chant of "You sold out" rang through the arena loud and clear. Hunter tried to compare the two men but the crowd booed while he talked. They booed right up until Hunter said, "You are like Nostradamus; you were correct earlier, what was that line you said? You were probably going to catch a beating for this? Oh no. You are gonna catch a beating for this. And it's gonna happen right now."

Hunter strutted around at ringside while the two men had a fifteen minute match. The crowd was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the match, staying behind Ziggler the entire time. Seth fed off of the boo's, knowing that this was his role. He was the heel. When the match was over, Ziggler limped his way backstage before straightening up and walking fine. Shannon was waiting for him and he didn't want to cause her any worry or panic.

Hunter and Seth came backstage together, showing unity for the fans. Once backstage, Hunter had his job to do and he went on his way. The former Shield member made his way through the halls on his own, meeting the glares of colleagues with a smirk as he headed for his private locker-room knowing that Kay would be waiting for him. At least she would be on his side. Pausing to draw a deep breath, he opened the door only wide enough to slide inside before quickly closing it behind him and leaning against the cold steel. He closed his eyes momentarily. In the stillness of the room he could still hear the chanting of the crowd, "You sold out! You sold out!" and see the coldness in his co-workers' eyes.

Out of that same stillness he heard a quiet whisper. "You did good. You looked **good**." He felt her hand touch his shoulder gently. That was all it took for Colby to wrap his arms around Kay and pin her to his chest, burying his face against her neck. Kay wrapped her arms around his neck and drug her fingers through his still-damp hair. She made a mantra out of the sentences, "You did good. I am proud of you. You did good. I am proud of you." She repeated them over and over into his ear and against his forehead.

* * *

"Can you believe the nerve of that pipsqueak? Who in the blue blazes does two-tone think he is?!" Sam sat up straight as the glass that Jon was holding slammed down on the table.

"Oh. Great. Terrific. SmackDown is on." she dead-panned. "Seth and Hunter get to start the show. What a cheery surprise." She stood up from the couch and stretched as she headed for the kitchen. Jon reached for her hand. "Nope. This is something the two of you can watch. I have no interest in seeing that again or hearing anything that vermin has to say. I don't give a rat's patooty if it is a storyline. The whole reason I am in The States is because of that storyline, not to watch a former trusted brother beat the holy h*ll out of you with a chair and then explain why he was so righteous in doing it. If you want to watch, go right ahead. I am going to do something else."

As Sam stalked away muttering something under her breath that the guys could only surmise were German curses on Colby and his future offspring for multiple generations, Jon and Joe turned their attention back to the goings-on in the ring. "You have a feisty one there, don't cha?" Joe muttered with a snort.

"You know it." Jon replied. "When she faced off with Ziggler in Germany I knew she was a handful but I wouldn't want her any other way." He took a long drink. "This life is hard on a normal couple. She is in another freakin' _country_. We've got so many more issues to face but I think this is real for us. I want us to work. I will do everything I can to make us work."

"What about Renee?"

"What about her? I haven't seen her other than interviews since I met Sam and I'm not going to. This woman traveled halfway around the globe for me because she heard The Shield was breaking up and thought I might need her. Jon, not Dean. She's here with you and me, not Roman and Dean. My girlfriend has taken care of me and my best friend because we needed someone. I'm not letting her go."

Joe reached over to slap Jon's knee. "Just had to check and make sure you knew how lucky you were. Sam's got balls, too. She'll need them to put up with you."

Jon's eyes lit up. "Say that again, bro. Say my woman's got balls. I **_dare_** you."

Sam ran to the door of the living room as she heard the sound of crashing and bashing going on. She threw up her hands and walked back to the bedroom when she saw the two grown men tussling on the floor like teenagers. "Take it back!" "It was a compli-ment!" "Take…it…back!"

* * *

**Meanwhile….somewhere in the southern hemisphere…**

"I just want to know how in the h*ll my DIRECT FLIGHT from Heathrow to LaGuardia ended up here? And now I am stuck in a bloody BLIZZARD? Are you bloody serious? Are you freakin' kiddin' me right now?" Torrie stomped away from the desk at the airline terminal. "It's no use. Incompetent nincompoops." she sighed as she sank down the wall.

"Is it really that bad?" Torrie looked up and glared at the person who was interrupting her pity party. "Don't be a lemon. Be a…"

"If you finish that statement, you'll be eating your sandwich through a straw. Rose buds my arse." Torrie nearly snarled at the tall man looking down at her.

"You are a fan." he said, sliding down the wall to sit beside her.

"H*ll, yeah." she nodded. "My friends were trying to meet up with me to get to RAW but I missed the message; stupid cell battery. Then I make this non-stop flight to New York only to end up stuck here. They are with their WWE boyfriends and I am stuck in this damn blizzard!" Torrie wailed.

The man with the sweet accent and chocolate brown eyes looked at her with a big smile. "I can tell you what's going on."

* * *

**Torrie is back! Poor thing...Who is the man? Will he be her "love interest"? Is she stuck in the southern hemisphere blizzard forever? Will she make it to her friends? Stay tuned!**


	20. It's Too Bad The Couples Need Time

Isabelle finished packing the last box from the infirmary and handed it to the stagehand to load onto the truck. Satisfied that everything was packed, Isabelle grabbed her bag and walked the hallway alone. It was hitting her now, Stephen wasn't there. He always waited for her. This was their time, couple time. Alone time. Her bae was angry that he wasn't in the show and he left, he wasn't there. Isabelle hadn't heard from him since he had stormed out over four hours ago, blaming the Dr. Amann and Isabelle equally for pulling him from the show that night. Walking past the equipment trucks, Isabelle looked around the nearly deserted parking lot and tried to fight back tears.

"Ah know ya taught ah left ya behind." A tiny squeal escaped as Isabelle spun to face her sheepish boyfriend who approached her with open arms. "Ya made the best decision. Ah should na' have argued wit' ya."

"You came back for me. You didn't leave me." Isabelle's voice trembled. Stephen felt horrible that he'd made his fiancé doubt so much that she was physically shaking in his arms.

"I wouldna eva leave ya behind, no matta how much we disagree. Neva doubt tha'" Placing a firm kiss on her forehead, he guided her to the car.

* * *

Sam grabbed the corner of her pillow and swung it backwards, popping the snoring man behind her over the head. "What the hell?"

"You two buffoons stayed up wrestling last night and now your snoring is keeping me awake." Fluffing her pillow, she curled up and tried to go back to sleep.

Jon curled around her, wrapping her in his arms. "If I keep you wrapped up then you can't hit me anymore, 'eh?" A groan was his only response. "Pretty bright for a buffoon." he whispered. Figuring she wasn't arguing, Jon settled in and happily returned to dreamland.

* * *

"So, you see, The Shield break up has been planned for a while. The powers-that-be feel that Roman, Seth, and Dean have achieved so much together that it is time to capitalize on this with solo careers. First Seth will get his shot with Dean and Roman coming after him and then the other two will go off on their separate endeavors. The guys are still friends behind the scenes, though."

"How? If Seth turned on Roman and Dean, how have they not taken it personally? If what you are telling me is true then they knew about the break-up but not the violence of the turn. Those two, what I know of them, would be the type to take that personally." Torrie kicked back in the airplane seat, having a lovely conversation with Adam Rose about the goings-on in the WWE.

"They definitely are! I try not to cross them in the story lines or backstage." he laughed. "They are cool guys. Great guys to get to know in the industry; intense and knowledgeable. Cross them and bad things happen. I've been lucky and stayed on their good side, even with this goofy gimmick. They know I work my ass off and stay out of their way." Torrie nodded. "Haven't been lucky enough to meet your friends but I hear that the guys are over the moon for 'em."

"The girls' are head-over-heels for the guys. And I am finally on my way to America!" Torrie said with a smile. "Who knows what the future holds?" Adam smiled at her. "You are very sweet…" she acknowledged with an apologetic tone.

"But there's no spark." he agreed. "At least we have a new friend and a cool travel companion."

"Agreed. You also kept me out of trouble back there." Torrie laughed. "You are pretty cool…for a lemon."

"HEY!" Adam said with a laugh.

* * *

Stephen and Isabelle walked into the hotel holding each other's hand but not saying anything to each other. Really, what was there to say? The strain that their relationship was undergoing on this particular day was enormous. As they made their way to the front desk to check-in, Isabelle saw Nick and Shannon approaching with two large pizzas. The other couple waited for them at the elevator, getting onto the car with the quiet couple. Shannon was the one who broke the silence. "We knew that you two hadn't eaten much and were probably having a night in. Hopefully we didn't overstep our bounds by getting you a pie…"

Isabelle began to tear up and tucked her head into Stephen's neck. "Tha' was very thoughtful. Thank yeh both." Stephen acknowledged. Isabelle took the pizza and he carried their luggage as they exited the elevator.

"I'll call you." Isabelle whispered to Shannon.

"Take care." Shannon whispered back. Once Shannon and Nick were alone she murmured, "I hope they are okay."

"They are together in the same place and willing to talk. That is half of the battle." Nick reassured her. "Just like we keep talking. Communication is key."


	21. It's Too Bad Progress is Made

"How long has it been since you were in the United States?" Colby asked Kay quietly. They had made love slowly and passionately, wordlessly understanding that they needed to reassure each other that this bond they were forging was solid and would survive the strain that the outside world would put on them.

Kay uncurled her fingers against his chest, toying with the hairs that were sprinkled there. "How long?" she repeated. "Hmmm…" Kay thought for a few moments. "Far, far too long."

Colby pressed a gentle kiss to Kay's forehead and caressed her bare back. He continued to whisper, "In all this craziness, I haven't asked about your career. Somehow you travel more than we do and that is nearly impossible." She didn't say anything at first, simply thinking over what he had said. "You are such a unique woman. So strong and caring. The things that you do, the things you see, the way you can understand and accept me the way I am…"

"Oh, shut up, Colby." Kay giggled. "Stop talking to fill the silence." She shifted one leg to rest on top of his and propped her head on his shoulder. Waiting another forty-five seconds, she finally spoke. "I do see the man behind Seth Rollins and I wasn't hurt by what you said tonight. Yes, I had to remind myself that it was a script, but I knew you weren't speaking to me. You had gotten into character. Your eyes were cold and your expression was frosty; angry. You were Seth. With me, here and now, you are Colby Lopez. There is a warmth about you, a peace and security; a different type of strength. Your eyes even look like a warm brown. To hear you say 'that the only person who needs to know why I did what I did and the only person that I owe anything to is me' gave me pause in the locker-room. I'll grant you that." Colby's grip on Kay tightened and he moved as if to speak but she plowed on. "But I told you I knew it was planned, scripted, and not meant for me. I knew why you said it. I knew you were directing it towards all of the others who have turned their backs on you. I get it." She leaned forward and looked directly into his eyes. "I get it, Colby. I told you before, this is your safe harbor. Right here, with me." She swallowed hard. "We are both live solitary lives and we've been fine with that. But…"

"But it is nice to share this life with someone else. Someone to…someone to love." Colby finished for her. Kay dipped her head again, laying her cheek on his chest. The couple lay in silence, absorbing the full impact of intense feelings that they had just shared.

* * *

Shannon sat the pizza box on the desk inside the hotel room. "Do you really think that Isabelle and Stephen will be okay? They have been engaged for so long but this fight seemed to really shake them."

Nick pulled her into a loose hug and spoke into the hair on the back of her head. "They will be fine. They are in the same room and they are talking. They have food so they don't have that to worry about. They'll work through it. We did." Shannon shuddered in his arms. He pulled her closer. "It's a constant work in progress. We have to communicate and not run from issues." Shannon turned and looped her arms around his neck. "I take it you agree?" She nodded and pursed her lips. He smiled and said, "No more talk of other couples? Just focusing on us now?" She nodded again as his hands slid lower.

* * *

Stephen opened the door and waited for Isabelle to enter before he carried their luggage inside. The couple moved about the room wordlessly, stowing their bags, washing their hands and kicking off their shoes. They met on the bed with the pizza between them, each picking up a slice and starting to eat.

Isabelle watched Stephen's movements, looking for any signs of stress or strain. The whole reason behind the tension was his injury from the night before. _Did I over-react? Was I wrong? Should he have been on SmackDown? What if my decision to pull him tonight affects his career? _She chewed slowly and took tiny bites. She watched him fidget as he tried to get comfortable and knew his neck and back were still sore. _He made me doubt myself. He's in pain and I'm afraid to touch my own fiancé. This is wrong, so wrong._ She closed her eyes against the on-coming tears and continued to chew.

Stephen watched his beloved eat less than a foot away from his knee yet he didn't reach out to touch her. The tiny bites she took were out of character and showed how much tonight affected her. _Yeh arse! Tis is all of yeh makin'! Do yeh doubt her ability workin' in the infirmary? Have yeh ever have cause to doubt her knowledge? Well, have yeh? Why are yeh now, lad? Do yeh no trust her? _He watched her swallow hard and knew that heavy thoughts were weighing on her mind. He wiggled a bit as his neck and back began to ache, not that he would let her know that. Not after she pulled him off of the show tonight. He froze with the slice half-way to his mouth, mouth hanging wide open. _Where did tha' thought come from? When have ah eva kept somethin' like tha' from her? _He put the slice back in the box and moved off of the bed to pace by the window.

"Stephen?" she whispered brokenly.

He drew in a deep breath. He felt his back pop and his neck strain. Rolling his head and neck, Stephen finally turned to face the woman he never wanted to hurt. "Isabelle…"

"Stephen, please don't." she begged. "I won't interfere again. I promise." Her slice of pizza slid from her fingers and onto the floor. Tears were free-flowing down her cheeks.

_Yah arse! _Stephen cursed himself as crossed the room and knelt at her feet. "Bella, dearest, ah am sayin' ah am sorry. Ah was wrong and yah were right. Ah didn't belong in ta ring. Me neck and me back…" he choked off. "Ah was wrong ta get mad. Ah was more wrong ta leave yah." His large pale hands framed her face. "Ah got no excuse, no reason fa hurtin' ye like tha'; no reason a'tall. Ah love yeh an yeh gonna be me wife. A man dinna leave his wife behind when he gits made. He stays an talks." At this point tears were streaming down both of their faces unhindered. "Ah screwed up an tha caused ye great pain. Ah don' know how ta fix tha'. Help me fix tha', please, Bella." His voice took on a pleading tone as his large arms encircled her waist and he dropped his head into her lap.

Isabelle found she was unable to move, unable to do anything except run her fingers through his hair as he sobbed into her lap. "Shhh. Shhhh. We are going to be okay. It's going to be okay." She repeated herself over and over, trying to calm him down as she continued to cry. When the tears began to ebb, Isabelle added, "You came back for me. We are here together. We are going to be fine." Stephen raised his head to look into her eyes. "We've been together for so long it's a wonder we didn't have a fight before this."

Stephen blinked a few times and reflected on their relationship. "Ya right. We neva had a fight before." he agreed as he rose to his feet. "We've had some discussions but neva a fight." He picked up the pizza box and carried it to the desk, realizing that neither of them really had an appetite with the high emotions that they were dealing with. In an attempt to lessen the mood he said, "Yeh don' know a thing about futbol…"

Isabelle smiled. "No, **you** don't know anything about football. And ya'll play soccer. I still think Manchester is so much better than Liverpool."

Stephen whirled around and caught the grin his fiancé was wearing. "Is tha so?" After the night they had been through the fact that she could tease him made his chest feel so much lighter. "May-hap ah should teach yeh a thing or two…" he growled with a laugh before catching her with a kiss.

Isabelle returned his kiss with equal intensity before tapping him on the shoulder. "Now you need to take off your shirt and lay face down on the bed. I need to look at your neck and back again."

Stephen kissed the tip of her nose. "Whatever yeh say, doc. But ah warn yeh…when ah heal, yea arse is mine." The growl he ended on was full of promise and sent shivers down Isabelle's spine.

"You behave and get through this without aggravating this injury and that just might happen…" she whispered in his ear. A deep groan filled the room as the big man dropped onto the bed.


	22. It's Too Bad Florida is So HOT

Sam woke up wrapped in the vise-like grip of an octopus known as Jon Good. His leg was thrown over hers. One of his arms was locked around her waist. The other was twisted somehow both under her head and along her chest. His head was tucked between her shoulder and her neck. Every time he exhaled, his breath blew across her pulse-point. When she wiggled the tiniest bit, both his leg and arm clenched as his chin burrowed slightly, causing his whiskers to irritate her neck. His other hand flexed and cupped her breast perfectly. "You are doing this on purpose." Sam whispered. Jon mumbled something that Sam couldn't understand and licked the side of her neck. "Dammit! You ass!" Now Sam was positive that he was awake so she pressed her rear into his awakening excitement. "Two can play this game, sweetheart." She wiggled her hips against him, as much as she could, and felt the affect she as having immediately. Encouraged, she moaned in that throaty way that got to him and arched into him harder. It was hard to keep the smile from her face when she felt him start to roll her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Feeling Jon's open mouth at the base of her neck, Sam knew he was leaving his mark. She hissed, "You asssss!"

Jon chuckled against her throat as he slid her body completely underneath his. "You really thought you stood a chance?" He captured her mouth in a possessive kiss and continued his sensual assault on her body. He only paused once to stare into her eyes and growl, "Mine." When she agreed, he renewed his assault with passionate vigor.

* * *

Jumping out of the taxi, the man known as Adam Rose hurried to the trunk and lifted his traveling companion's luggage out easily, setting it on the curb. Torrie climbed from the cab and met him at her suitcase, giving him a loose hug. "Thank you for being so sweet." she said quietly and sincerely.

"Go find your friends. We'll catch up again. Promise. And you can be a Rose Bud." He added with a chuckle.

"Not a chance!" she exclaimed.

"It was worth a shot." he said with a shrug as he got back into the taxi before riding away.

Torrie grabbed her bags and pulled them along behind her as she headed for the house. _I really, really hope this is the right address. _Holding her breath she knocked on the door. She waited as she heard the sound of someone stumbling around inside and finally fumbling with the lock on the door. "Goo…" Her greeting died off as her line of sight filled with a grey wife-beater tee covering a wide expanse of chest. Raising her eyes, she found the edges of a tattoo peeking out of the collar. Following the tattoo she saw that it covered the shoulder and the arm that was raised, propping the door open. Dropping down, she saw a wild mane of black hair curling around in a serious case of bedhead. Finally meeting the man's eyes, Torrie was spell-bound by their color. Were they grey or were they green?

"Can I help you?" The just-awoken rasp in his voice was like a gut-punch that Torrie had never experienced before.

"Um…" One of her bags dropped to the ground. "I…ah…"

"Are you okay, miss?" Concern was starting to creep into his deep voice.

"I am looking for my, ah, my friend Sam." Torrie dropped her other bag. "She, ah, she tried to meet up with me at Heathrow but we missed each other. She's not going to believe where I've been."

Skepticism now filled his eyes as his large arms crossed over his chest. "Really?"

"Yes, really." No matter how good-looking Roman Reigns was and no matter how attracted Torrie was to him, no one was going to accuse her of lying and get away with it. "I realize you have had some trauma recently and maybe you took a chair-shot or two too many to the head, but your manners are pathetic. Sam is my friend, one of my best friends, in fact. Sam, Shannon, Sarah, and I are great friends." Realizing that he wasn't going to believe her without something he considered 'proof', Torrie stepped closer to the man who towered over her. Once they were toe-to-toe she said, "If you were such a great friend of hers, you would know that Shannon and Nick met the night that she returned from a girls' vacation with all four of us. You would also know that, before the drama that sent Shannon running into mortal danger, it was the other three of us that encouraged her to take a risk on him. Now, Doubting Thomas, go check out my story. Make as ass out of yourself. I dare you." Torrie stepped back, turned around and sat down on the steps. She didn't look at the door once.

While it irked Joe to no end that this strange woman showed up on his doorstep and had the nerve to act like he was rude for not letting her into his house, he felt…hurt that she hadn't spared him a look back when she sat down on his front step. She'd obviously found him attractive by the way she had checked him out when he'd opened the door. To stand up to him that way, that fire, that charisma… He knocked on the guest room door. "Hey, Sam. I need to talk to you."

"Gimme a minute." she called.

"S'sup?" Jon asked.

"Do I really gotta talk through a door?" Joe muttered. "Some woman is at the door and says she knows Sam." Jon grunted in disbelief. "She says she knows Sam, Sarah, and Shannon. That she was with y'all on vacation before Shannon and Nick hooked up and that the three of you talked Shannon into goin' out with him. She says you were supposed to meet at…" The door flew open and Joe stepped back. "Heathrow." they said in unison.

"Torrie's here?! Where?" Sam nearly squeeled.

"On the front step."

"YOU LEFT HER ON THE FRONT STEP?!" Sam shouted. Torrie could hear her from where she sat and stood up. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Sam ran down the steps and barreled through the door, tackling Torrie in her excitement. "How the hell are ya?"

"You're sitting on me." Torrie gasped. Jon helped Sam up and then offered Torrie a hand.

"I'm so glad you are here!" Sam said, pulling Torrie into the house. "Joe's got plenty of room and he won't mind the company. He's going to get your bags right now and put them in the other guest room." Sam kept walking, pulling Torrie towards the sunroom in the back of the house.

"I guess I pissed them both off." Joe muttered. "I was trying to be safe. Some woman shows up at the crack of dawn at my door, I'm not just going to let her in."

Jon slapped him on the shoulder. "Man, don't argue with women. You know better. Especially not my woman! She don't fight fair."

"True, true."

"And you seem to have taken a liking to this friend of hers…Torrie." Jon continued. "Might wanta take care of that before you see her again." he said with a laugh as he headed off to join the women.

Joe looked down at his athletic sleep-shorts and cursed. He grabbed her luggage, slammed the front door, and stomped up to the last remaining guest room. It had to be right across the hall from his room, didn't it? Cursing again, he headed for his bathroom to shower and to pray he could make a better impression the next time he saw her.


	23. It's Too Bad Gotta Catch Up

Joe stood under the pounding hot water of his shower muttering to himself. "Joe's got plenty of room. Joe's such a nice guy, he won't mind the company. Joe's going to get your bags right this minute and haul them up to the guest room that is right across the hall from his room, just so he can torture himself a little more. Lord knows he hasn't done THAT enough lately!" He grabbed a hold of his hard length and stroked himself as he thought of the woman that had appeared at his door that morning. Leaning his head against the cool tile of the shower he groaned. "Witchy woman." Joe wasn't surprised that it only took a few firm pulls while thinking of her to bring himself to release.

#$% #$% #$%

"You are really here! How did you get here? What happened? We tried to meet up with you at Heathrow." Sam was talking a mile a minute as she and Torrie settled on a couch in the sunroom. Jon sat in a chair nearby, trying not to laugh at his chatty girlfriend.

Torrie had no problem laughing at Sam. "Do you really want to know the whole story? Dead cell phone battery, blizzard, Adam Rose, and all?"

Jon leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. "You've piqued my interest. "How the h*ll does Adam Rose fit into all of this?"

"And how did you find a blizzard in June?" Sam asked.

Torrie curled her feet under her body and continued to laugh. "It was so simple and such a comedy of errors. I missed your calls thanks to my cell battery dying. Yeah, I was SO happy about that! When I got your messages, I called Heathrow but the flight was in the air and the next direct flight didn't leave until the following day. I had to get on standby for that flight and ended up on the flight after that to LaGuardia, about 16 hours behind you. Not too horrible, until we got diverted thanks to a storm." Torrie rolled her eyes. "Do not ask me how a direct flight from Heathrow, England to LaGuardia, New York ends up first in Brazil and then in the Bahamas."

"Hey, getting diverted to the Bahamas isn't too shabby!" Sam said with a smile.

"I wanted to be with you guys! Vacationing with a hot guy on a sandy beach would be ideal. Getting stuck without ya'll when everything is going down, no thank you!" Torrie shivered. "_Anyway_, while sitting in Brazil thanks to the storm, a blizzard just 'popped up' and no planes could fly out. That's when I was about to lose it and Adam Rose appeared. He was getting ready to tell me not to be a lemon when I threatened to knock his teeth down his throat. We got along well and decided to hang out." Joe crossed his arms over his chest in the doorway, leveling a glare at Torrie. "What? I needed someone to talk to and he was nice. We talked about what was going on around here, since I couldn't see it. Then he shared a taxi and dropped me off at your front door. Cool cat, that guy."

Joe flexed his biceps. _I think I might just have to kill a Rose Bud _he thought as he sat in the chair across from Jon.

* * *

Shannon rubbed her eyes, wondering what woke her up. Nick held her in a loose embrace, his breath ghosting across her shoulder. The sound of her phone vibrating again sent her scurrying from the comfort of the warm bed and answering the annoying appliance. "Yes… No… I can… Yes, send the information. No, not right now. Okay, I'll work on it. Yes, as soon as I can. Of course I have my secure computer. Don't act like an ass or you can find someone else to do it. Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll talk to you later."

"I guess you have more work." Nick said.

"Yep. Never ends." she said as she pulled her laptop out of its case.

Nick rubbed her shoulders. "Just know that we are in this together. I don't need specifics. I'm here for YOU, not them."


	24. It's Too Bad Real Life is Here

Nick watched as Shannon worked for hours. She had worked with something that had been sent to her and then she had gone online for a period of time. She was bouncing back and forth between the documents and the internet. Nick watched her fingers fly, her forehead furrow, and her thumbnail disappear between her teeth. He quietly headed down to the hotel restaurant to get them lunch and some drinks but Shannon didn't notice. Nick began to worry when Shannon ate mindlessly, not even recognizing what she was eating or noticing where she was dropping crumbs. He picked pieces of her sandwich off of the floor and threw them away before heading down the hallway again. Drawing in a huge breath, he knocked on the door.

"Look, I don't want to talk to you. I don't give a d*mn why you did what you did. I need your girlfriend and I need her now."

* * *

"So…" Torrie said looking at the other three people in the room.

"So, what?" Jon prompted.

"I told you I heard what happened from Adam. I want to hear it from you. The real story. The two of you look solid; what happened with Colby? And I'm not buying that it was a storyline."

Sam moved to sit on Jon's lap, running her fingers through his hair to keep him calm. Jon laid his head on Sam's shoulder, focusing on keeping his breathing level and enjoying her loving affections. Joe pushed off the wall and sat in the seat recently vacated by his Shield brother. "You don't think this was a storyline." he rumbled.

"If it was a storyline he would have left the arena and snuck in here to hole up with you. The two of you wouldn't be so miserable here alone. And Sam wouldn't be trying to keep the lunatic at bay. You two look adorable, by the way." Torrie observed.

Joe couldn't help himself. He grabbed Torrie's hand and held it on his thigh. "It started as a storyline. Shannon knew it and that's why Sam was here when it happened. We knew we were breaking up. We planned the scene… walked through it multiple times, the way we always do. We knew exactly what we were doing. Jon and I set up, Colby was behind us, and then the chair shots started. It was too early, too violent. He didn't pull the way he was supposed to when chairs are used. Since we didn't practice, Jon and I weren't in position and those shots made contact with…"

Torrie squeezed his fingers since his hand was too large to get a good grasp on. "Colby, your friend and brother, actually made physical contact with body parts that he normally wouldn't. If you had been given the time to prepare the way you usually did, you wouldn't be here nursing these wounds."

"He hasn't even checked on them." Sam murmured.

* * *

Kay heard someone knock at the door. Colby had answered it in just his boxers. She was headed for the bathroom when she overheard the stressed person in the hallway say, "Look, I don't want to talk to you. I don't give a d*mn why you did what you did. I need your girlfriend and I need her now."

Yanking the door our of Colby's hands she stared into the taut face of Nick Nemeth. "What's happened to Shannon?" she murmured as Colby wrapped his arms around her.

Nick leaned one shoulder against the doorjam and shoved his hands in his pockets. He whispered, "I don't know what she's working on. I promised her I wouldn't ask. She did eat the sandwich I brought her, but I doubt she knows she did. She hasn't spoken in hours." Worry was evident on his face. His voice dropped even lower. "I know this is what she does; what you both do. I just don't want her, you… If she doesn't have to do it alone…"

Colby reached for Nick and pulled him into the room as Kay spun around and rushed to change. Once Kay had her clothes and the changing in the bathroom with the door ajar she asked for more information. "How long has she been working? Was it a call or an e-mail? I know you've been watching her. What have you seen?"

After pulling on shorts, Colby patted the other man's back. "They will be okay. At despite what you may think of me right now, I'm still here for you."

Nick grabbed Colby roughly by the neck. "Dude. The storyline is the storyline. You and I are gonna have some great matches here, at least I hope so." He rolled his eyes. "I'll get screwed over eventually. Creative never gives me a decent push. You on the other hand, you are going to have a great run my friend. The issue that I have isn't with the turn because that was freakin' awesome. The issue I have is the violence that you unleashed on your friends." He gripped Colby's shoulder hard. "I happen to know that you didn't have any contact with them before they left for the airport and you haven't checked on them since they had to take the week off, either." Colby opened his mouth. "Don't tell me it was planned. We've talked to Sam. We know how they are. We know how and where they are, I should say. Be ready, Colby."

"I can handle them." Colby said assuredly.

"You can handle Jon and Joe." Nick nodded. "Can you handle a p*ssed off Sam? Are you ready to face her when she's been coping with **_those two _**for a week?" Colby thought for a second before his eyes widened. "Exactly. Hate to be you."

Kay came out of the bathroom ready to help her friend. "Sam is a sweetheart. She's a kind and gentle soul, loves puppies, takes nature walks, sweet as can be. I don't know why you guys say she is so scary. The only time I've ever seen her remotely close to violent was when someone she loved was threaten. **_Then_** she did nearly kill this guy but that was justified. Oh, and there was that time with you Nick. But you did break her friend's heart so that was justified, too." Kay shrugged her shoulders. "I think Sam is an absolute doll. Jon's lucky to have her. Just like you are lucky to have Shannon and I am so lucky that Colby and I are together." She put her arms around Colby's waist as Nick ran his finger along the base of his throat.

Yep, Colby realized when Sam got ahold of him he was a dead man.


	25. It's Too Bad It's Time to Recuperate

"Nick, could you get that please?" Shannon asked, hearing a knock at the door. When she heard the knock again she repeated, "Nick, please get the door." She continued to read the report that was on her computer, hastily making notes on the paper in her lap. Another knock had her slamming her notebook on the bed and stalking over to the door. "Seriously, Nick. I am trying to work. Couldn't you answer the damn door?"

"Nick and Colby are chatting in our room. He said you are working on something and might need a hand. What's up, chicka?" Kay pushed her way passed Shannon and into the room.

Shannon shook her head and shut the door. "He didn't say anything before he left."

"If he did, you wouldn't have known it. He is worried about you."

"He doesn't know…"

"I know that. You know that. He doesn't know about what we do. Just like we are learning about what they do. We worry about them and have to trust that they are okay, he'll figure that out." Kay sat next to the assortment of papers that were spread across the bed. "Read me in."

Shannon rolled her shoulders. "Why can't they ever be easy?" She walked to the other side of the bed and gestured helplessly to the piles of notes. "It seems to be a cacophony of convoluted drivel. The threats are all over the place as is the range in targets. Military, civilian, soft, hard, mass destruction, minimum destruction, large visual presence, noticeable to locals only and so on." Shannon threw up her hands as if giving up in defeat.

Kay knew this wasn't the case. "The increase in chatter bothers you."

Shannon sat on the edge of the bed and sighed heavily. "Yes. Yes it does. They know we are monitoring. Some of this has to be distractors for the real attack. What if I identify the wrong one?"

"Don't let those thoughts enter your head. I have faith in you." Nick stood just inside the room. Colby stood behind him. The door to the room was closed. "You do the best you can with every case, passing along the information as you see it to those who need it. They do the best they can. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. There aren't guarantees in this life, Shannon. Know that I am proud of everything you do." Colby nodded at Kay in agreement.

"We've done this before. Let's start going through everything and prioritize the threats one-by-one." Kay suggested. "You've been at it all day. You know fresh eyes will help."

* * *

A warm feeling awoke Isabelle. She felt like she was lying under a heatlamp… or on a beach… or if a thousand dragon's tongues were licking her skin. She was panting, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, Stephen…"

"Feelin' good, are yeh lass?" She heard his voice and felt his breath across her warm, wet center. Before she could respond, Stephen had her clit in his mouth and sucked hard, sending her spiraling out of control again. "Tá tú go hálainn." he murmured. "Tá tú go hálainn." She blinked as she same back from her orgasmic high. "Seeing you like tha', knowin' only ah can do tha', see tha'…" Stephen crawled up her body and slid inside as he kissed her hard. Isabelle held on to his shoulders and he rocked their bodies together in a seamless rhythm as old as time.

After gasping each other's name, Isabelle whispered, "That was one heck of a good morning."

"Ah wonted yeh to know that ah love yeh so much… Ah donnah wonta lose yeh. Eveh."

_**"Tá tú go hálainn" – "You are beautiful" in Gaelic**_

* * *

Kay and Shannon had papers strung all around the room. In their own method of prioritizing that made sense to them, they had sorted locations and targets into threat levels. The women sat back and assessed what they had accomplished. "Pass on everything or just the high priorities?"

"I think we pass the 'reds' on as eminent threats. Those locations are feasible to protect immediately. The others can be combed through and investigated on the ground by those who have the time and expertise to do that type of thing. But, yes, we pass everything on." Shannon said. "I can't thank you enough for your help. I know you and Colby needed the time together."

"Colby needs a friendly word from anyone. If Nick is willing to throw him a bone, that's great." Kay said as Shannon was typing a summary report. "The next few weeks are going to be a challenge for Colby with everyone thinking he is a turncoat and forgetting that this is a storyline."

"If they are going to be performing together, they need to get on the same page." Shannon agreed. "And, selfishly, I hope Nick figures out how to build a relationship with someone he can trust in case I leave for work for a while."

Kay grabbed Shannon's forearm. "Don't you dare disappear on that man. You cannot do that to him again."

* * *

Sam pulled Jon off of the sun room. "We're going to work on breakfast." She announced on their way out.

"I don't know how to cook!" Jon argued.

"Shhhh." Sam grabbed him by the arm and drug him to the front door. "I don't know how to cook, either."

"Then what are we doing?" Jon asked, totally confused.

"We are working on breakfast. There has to be some place around here that we can get something to bring back. In the meantime, those two will either hit it off or kill each other. At least Joe won't be sulking around us anymore." Sam closed the door quietly and ran for the car.

Jon beat her to the driver's door. "No way are you driving." He slid inside.

"There's nothing wrong with my driving." Sam complained crossly. "American's just don't know how to drive." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the passenger window.

Jon grabbed her knee in his vise-like grip. "I will happily adjust your attitude over my knee, darling." Sam turned her glare on him. "Yep, right here in the driveway. Spank that delectable…"

"Try it, Jon. Just try it." Sam grumbled. Jon unfastened both of their seatbelts and grabbed her waist. "Dammit! Don't you dare!" she squealed.

"Don't ever tempt me, woman. You know I will, any chance I get." The promise in his voice left Sam wanting Jon to follow-through desperately.

* * *

Joe hadn't let go of Torrie's hand after he'd shared his take on the breakup of The Shield. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand as he thought about the fact that she wasn't pulling away from him. A small smile grew on his face. The little minx leaned against his bicep and whispered, "Just so you know, I haven't forgotten the fact that you left me sitting on the front step this morning while you had to check out my story with Sam. I don't appreciate being called a liar."

He clenched her hand even more tightly. "I never called you a liar." he whispered vehemently.

"You didn't have to. Leaving me on the step, the expression on your face, the fact that you actually went to ask Sam about me…"

"You wouldn't believe some of the crazy things that some fangirls have done to try and get close. I can't be too careful." He pressed their entwined hands to his chest. "I swear, Torrie, I didn't mean…"

She blinked ever so slowly before continuing, "And I dare not mention your shower." He held his breath. "From barely awake to clean and ready to take on the world…" He exhaled. She raised an eyebrow.

The words were nearly nonverbal. "You know? How?"

"Really, Joe? You think I don't know the 'I Just Came' face?" Torrie patted his cheek with her other hand. "You couldn't let me into your house but you could do _that_? I don't know whether to do flattered or"

"Flattered. Be flattered." he rushed. Now that she had called him on it, he was afraid she wasn't going to give him the chance to correct her first impression of him. He knew he'd screwed up at the front door. Now he was afraid he'd screwed up in the privacy of his own shower. _How was I to know she'd know? Jon didn't even know and he's a guy!_ "Look, Torrie, please. I just want a chance. Give me a chance and I promise I will make both of our horrible weeks better."

Torrie looked deep into the Samoan's eyes. "You have one shot, Big Boy. Wow me."

Joe looked at her and raised his brows. "Now? Now. Okay…"


	26. It's Too Bad Everyone is Back to Work

**_Friday, June 6 - Detroit house show_**

Sarah and Claudio sat together in catering, heads together, feeding each other food and kissing in between bites. Isabelle and Stephen stood in the doorway and watched the loving display. "Doesn't it just make you sick?" she whispered.

"Ah em so lucky yeh do net spoil meh like tha'." Stephen whispered back. "Sick'nen. Jes sick'nen."

"Hey, ya'll! We haven't seen you in forever!" Summer Rae greeted as she and Renee sat down at Sarah and Claudio's table. "Where have you two been hiding?"

Isabelle turned to bury her face in Stephen's collarbone as she whispered, "Let's get outa here. I can't stand those two. Sorry to leave Sarah and C in their clutches…"

"Ach, C's been lovin' it up fo' days wit da lass. He can deal wit them!" He hooked his own lass around the neck and snuck away from catering without being spotted.

* * *

Nick and Colby sat in the locker room together. "We need to walk through tonight's show."

"I don't feel like it."

"Neither do I. This week has been pure hell." Colby admitted.

"I don't know how they do it. I thought our schedules were hell, but the pace they keep is absolutely brutal." Nick agreed.

Colby sat on a bench with his head in his hands. "I don't think either one would have eaten if we hadn't stuffed food in their mouths."

"Or slept if we hadn't forcibly closed their computers." Nick laid on another bench. "I'm afraid of whatever they are working on. It's definitely not good." Both men flinched but didn't rise from their positions as the locker room door slammed open. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Nick shouted at the four figures infiltrating the room.

Jon and Joe lead the way. Sam and Torrie followed, shutting and locking the door. "You aren't the problem, Nick. Just shut up and stay out of the way." Jon snarled as he headed for Colby. "We want an explanation and we're going to beat it out of him."

Colby stood and waited for Jon calmly. Nick jumped to his feet and met Jon halfway across the room. He put one hand on the center of Jon's chest and looked him in the eye. "I get that you are pissed. You have every right to be. The three of you should sit down and talk but now isn't the time to do it. Colby really isn't the ass I thought he was. He might surprise you, too."

"I'ma 'bout to surprise his ass." Jon snarled again.

Nick held him off again. "Let him come. Might as well get it over with." Colby said tiredly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Joe asked. "You both look like shit. Have either of you slept this week? And when did the two of you get so tight?"

Colby dropped back onto the bench. Nick looked at Jon, blinked slowly before backing up and dropping beside the other exhausted man. "Shannon and Kay have been working all week."

"Nick wasn't thrilled to knock on our door but he did it because Shannon needed help." Colby added. "We've tried to be supportive. Keep them fed and make them sleep every once in a while." He resumed his previous position of holding his head in his hands.

"Damn." Sam said softly. "Don't know what's coming?"

"Nope. Provide assistance. That's it." Nick said quietly.

"You both look beat." Torrie finally spoke.

Joe and Jon sat on the bench opposite Nick and Colby. Their woman sat on either side of them. Colby ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "I shoulda called."

"Shoulda not beat the shit outa us in the first place." Jon corrected.

* * *

"We just need four hours of sleep. With four hours our batteries would be recharged. Then we can…" Kay sighed as she flopped backwards on the bed.

Shannon started to lie back only to roll to her side and grab her phone as it began to ring. She barely got the customary greeting out before the person began to fill her in on the activities on the other side of the world. She sat upright and snatched her computer. Ranked second on their threat assessment list, police officers had been kidnapped. Now the powers-that-be were hoping that they could get some help with who was responsible and where to look for the missing people. Promising to try, she hung up the phone and threw it on the bed.

"What happened?" Kay asked, all trace of exhaustion gone.

"Twenty-one police officers are missing in Iraq. They want us to see if we can find any trace of them or who is responsible." Shannon explained briefly.

"Let me wave my magic wand." Kay muttered as she grabbed her computer and began searching for surveillance video that no one else would be able to find. "You know this is really a fruitless search, don't you?"

Shannon sighed. "I know that. You know that. I think most everyone knows that. But their families need them back."


	27. It's Too Bad… On the Road Again

Nick and Colby walked into the hotel room ready to forcibly carry their women to bed. Upon entering the room, their plans abruptly changed when they found Shannon and Kay franticly working between computers and papers tacked to the walls. Sam and Torrie paused in the doorway, Jon and Joe flush against their backs. "Oh, shit." Sam whispered.

"This is really bad." Torrie agreed. "I haven't seen this in person before but Holy Crap!"

Nick approached Shannon cautiously. "Hon?"

"Don't. Just don't." She shewed him away.

Colby tried talking to Kay. "Can I get you something to drink or…"

"Go away." Kay muttered. "No distractions."

"But…"

"I SAID GO AWAY!"

Colby stumbled backwards and collided with Nick in his haste to give Kay space. "Not now, guys." Shannon agreed, pulling up satellite surveillance. "Kay, check this out. Are those heat signa…?"

"Dammit, they are fading. What are the coordinates?" Fingers were flying across keys as they were looking for information and sending locations to people on the other side of the world. "Do you think we should check the other red flags on our threat assessment list?"

"Wouldn't hurt. If this one went active that fast, we'd better double check." Shannon sighed. The women went right back to work.

Joe's deep voice filled the room. "Why don't you let us get you something to eat and drink? You are obviously working hard on something very important."

Shannon rolled her shoulders and looked at him. "We don't have the luxury of time. Thanks for the offer. If we finish couple checking quickly, then we can collapse for a few hours." Long blinks gave away how exhausted the woman was.

Jon, Sam, Joe, and Torrie headed down the hall to their rooms. "They have a hard road ahead of them, don't they?" Jon said quietly. The other three people nodded. "I almost feel bad for being so pissed at Colby. Almost."

"I hope both couples make it." Torrie said.

"They will." Sam said confidently.

Once inside their rooms, the guys were looking for room service menus and the women flipped on the televisions. Minutes later, the doors flew open and they were both whisper-screeching "Did you see?" "Oh, my God!"

"What?" Jon and Joe appeared behind them.

"Go look at the t.v. That's what Shannon and Kay have been working on. Now they want to prevent something worse." Sam explained.

Sarah popped into the hall. "You heard? 21 Iraqi police officers were kidnapped and killed." She shook her head.

"SSSSHHHHH!" Torrie shushed the other woman. "You don't have to be so loud."

"Shannon?" Sarah whispered. They nodded. "Crap." She leaned against the wall. "What's the plan?"

"Shan and Kay think something else is about to happen. They are still hard at work."

"Nick and Colby look like shit." Joe added.

Claudio's head shot out of the doorway. "Colby and Nick are hanging out now? How much have we missed?"

Jon reappeared in the hall. "I ordered food. Someone's gonna have to return to their room and see if the guys can get them to eat. They can't do what their doin' without eatin'."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Rock, paper, scissors? Loser goes in?"

"I'll go." Sam heaved a heavy sigh. "I survived you two. I can survive them."

"We weren't that bad." Jon argued. "And I'd miss you too much to risk sending you in there without back-up. Joe can go. He's bigger and stronger. As scary as he can get, he'll be fine." Joe glared at his friend. "What? You gonna argue somethin' I said?" Joe shook his head and walked back into his hotel room. "I didn't think so."

* * *

"What happens now?" Nick asked quietly. Shannon's work was still stacked on the tables and desk and papers were still stuck to the wall. Kay was in another room with Colby and Nick had gotten Shannon to eat and lay down. He figured if he kept her still for a few minutes she would pass out from exhaustion. He knew her mind was still racing, so he thought he'd let her talk so he'd know when it was safe for him to fall asleep.

"Mourn being too late. Get over it because we did what we could. Sleep. Start over in the morning. This isn't… over. Something else… is coming… Need… fresh… eyes." Thankfully, she was finally out. So was Nick.

**_Saturday morning, June 7_**

A quiet knock at the door let Nick know that breakfast had been delivered, courtesy of their wonderful friends. Easing his arm from underneath his sleeping girlfriend, he tiptoed to the door, retrieved their food, and returned to the bed. Rubbing a strawberry over her lips, he gently woke her up with a kiss. When Shannon groaned lightly, Nick kissed her again and teased her bottom lip with the tip of the strawberry. "Sweetie, you need to eat. Then we can go back to sleep." he whispered. He licked her collarbone. Her head tilted back, giving him greater access. "Baby, you need to wake up." Her head lolled to the side and her eyes remained shut. Nick captured her earlobe between his teeth and nibbled lightly as he trailed his hand down below the sheet. Once his fingers made contact with her core her eyelids finally began to flutter. "Ah, now I am getting your attention." he chuckled as he slid two fingers inside and breathed heavily on the side of her neck. "You can do it, babe." He tantalized her slick channel and awakened her clit with his thumb. When a gasp erupted from her lips, he kissed her hard and whispered, "I love you so much. Never doubt how much I love you, Shan." Her eyes opened wide. Nick stripped quickly and slid into her. "I love you."

"I love you" she breathed across the skin of his neck on a whisper. "I love you so much." She wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly continued his passionate bonding.

#$% #$% #$%

The couple ate a bite or two of fruit on their way to the shower where they took their time in washing each other. Shannon seemed to be stocking up on memories, trying to capture images to last her through long and lonely nights that she knew would be coming. For his part, Nick seemed to be intent on making sure Shannon knew he was in this for the long haul, that he wasn't going anywhere. They both moved more slowly than usual, cherishing every second. It became vitally important as they were drying off and heard a noise that was unfamiliar to Nick.

Shannon knew exactly what it was. She hastily pulled on her clothes and threw Nick his shorts. She grabbed him by the neck and said, "What happens in the next few minutes is okay, I promise. I love you and I will contact you as soon as possible." She pressed her lips to his and he kissed her hard. After a five-second kiss a pounding at the door interrupted them. "I have to get that or they will break in." Shannon threw open the door and stepped back, heading for her things.

Four large men in military fatigues and body armor entered the room carrying very large guns. "We need you to come with us, Miss. We have…"

"I know." Shannon said quietly. "I heard the helicopter land. Give me a minute to gather my things. You can brief me on the way." The men saw Nick in the doorway of the bathroom. "I know I can't tell him anything, but you have to give me 5 seconds to say goodbye." She dropped her hastily packed suitcase on the floor and kissed Nick one last time. "I promise to let you know I am okay."

"I will message you whether you can respond or not." Nick promised. "Your e-mail is going to get swamped."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Shannon blinked rapidly before whispering in his ear. "I'll Skype when I can."

With another kiss, she was gone.

Nick ran to the door and looked down the already-empty hallway. "What just happened?"

He turned to see Colby, Kay, Jon, Sam, Joe, and Torrie waiting anxiously for his explanation. "Um, some military men just came and took Shannon. She promised to be in contact when she can." He turned and went back into his room, closing the door and fastening the chain. The friends looked at each other, hugging their women tightly.

* * *

**The real-world events referenced occurred on June 6-7, 2014. No disrespect is meant by referencing such events in this story. Since the character works with the military, such references make sense and have been part of the story since the beginning. There are two more events that will be forthcoming that are pivotal to the plot-line. **


	28. It's Too Bad We're Miles Apart

**_Monday, June 9_****_th_****_ – Minneapolis, Minnesota_**

It had been a long 58 hours since Shannon had disappeared. Concern was growing with each hour that passed without any word from her. Initially Nick had retreated into their hotel room for some time alone. When he had come out, he kept a brave front in place even around their friends. He assured them all that Shannon was able to take care of herself and that she would contact them when she was able. Her career had demands just like theirs did and they had to be understanding and supportive. He asked that they remember her and periodically send her a message, not to lose heart if they didn't hear back from her right away. Then he headed for the gym to work out for a while. Alone.

Kay and Colby sat in catering quietly. The other couples were still closer and more social. Colby knew this was still a result of his violent attack in the ring and was hoping that things would ease up soon. "They know you and Nick buried the hatchet. Maybe you'll be the one to get through to him." Kay leaned across his back and whispered softly.

"All of us just need to be okay. We need to know Shannon is okay." Colby muttered. A runner came past to let him know his time was about up. "The timing of this show sucks. When we all need to be leaning on each other, the storyline is ripping us apart. Something's gotta give." Kay scratched her nails lightly across his back. "I am so glad you are in my corner." He kissed her on the temple. "Remember, storylines. I know you are here. No matter what I say in character you and I are," Kay cut him off with a kiss.

"I was okay last week. I'll be okay this week. The WWE Universe gets to hear Seth Rollins rant. I get to love on and be loved by Colby Lopez. All is well." She looked directly into his eyes as she assured him. He kissed the tip of her nose before he stood up.

* * *

Sam and Torrie sat on opposite ends of the sofa in the locker room that Jon and Joe commandeered for themselves. They had gotten a flat screen television and a sectional sofa set up for their girlfriends. The room had a private shower that the men took turns using prior to their appearance for the evening.

As Seth made his appearance on Raw, supposedly "explaining his actions" to Michael Cole, the women sat staring at the monitor and the men leaned over their shoulders. "I know I said I would get over it, but that sh*t hurt." Jon grumbled.

Sam reached up to grab his hand. "You never promised to forget. He's just shown that he's not a complete *ss."

Torrie held both of Joe's hands, pressing them to her shoulders. "Give it time. It's only been a week. Let some more time pass and then maybe you can talk." She looked up at Joe, so he appeared upside down to her. "I just met the man. It seems to me that he's lonely. He seems to have a heart. I wonder why, what happened. There has to be more to the story."

Joe leaned over to kiss her, his goatee tickling her nose and his nose brushing her chin. Both smiled widely at the unusual kiss. "Maybe you are right. Or maybe he's just selfish. Right now, I don't want to hear it or think about it."

"Let's get our spot done and try another run at Nick." Jon agreed.

* * *

**_Elsewhere in the world…_**

Shannon sat in a "room" full of computers with a long table at a portable corkboard at her disposal to work through her notes. When the door opened and she saw the expression on the marine's face, she threw the handful of papers in the air and screamed in frustration. "Ma'am."

"What now? Where was it this time? What have I missed?" Shannon dropped into her chair sadly. "How many souls?"

"Today it was five NATO international security troops in Afghanistan."

"And yesterday it was Jinnah Airport in Karachi. What will it be tomorrow? What am I missing?" Shannon sighed sadly.

The marine picked up the scattered papers and set them on the table. "With all due respect ma'am, you are working your *ss off. We all are. You have a skill set that we don't have. As a linguistic code breaker you are doing things and seeing things that my men and I could never put together. You are also exhausted. This is at least the fourth day that I know of that you have been working with minimal sleep. That takes its toll. Eight hours of shut-eye, no less. Start fresh after that." He turned on his heel and held open the door. "A guard will stay at this door. No one in or out." He waited for her to leave. "Eight hours or more, one square and then you can come back. And you need a witness." What some might say was a smile ghosted across his face before he nodded at the guard assigned to the door and then walked away.

Shannon trudged to her bunk and pulled out her encoded phone. She sent one brief message before curling up on her rack. "I miss you. Dreaming of your arms."


	29. It's Too Bad Depression Takes Hold

_It's time to end the hiatus! Thankfully the muses are firing on this story once again. :) Kudos to AeonBlue for reviewing this story as I am getting ready to post a new chapter. Are you spying on me? How did you know I was getting ready to update this?_

_*This story makes reference to events that occur in real life. This is not with the intent of making light of these events. Read the story. See how they affect the characters. _

**_This is fiction. I do not have any claim to characters or people associated with the WWE._

* * *

**_Monday, June 9_****_th_****_ – after RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota_**

Jon and Joe were fitting the jigsaw of luggage into the back of their car when Sam and Torrie touched their backs gently. Both couples stood quietly, wrapping their arms around each other as they took in the scene two cars over.

~! #$%^

Nick had his carry-on bag throw over his shoulder and dragging his suitcase with one hand, bumping and banging at his heels. In his other hand he carried his phone, staring at it as if he could will a message to come through. Torrie whispered into Joe's shoulder, "That is so sad. My heart breaks for him."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I wish there was something we could do."

Jon and Joe hugged their women harder as they watched Nick trudge passed the cars. Colby popped around the other side, calling his name. "Nick! Nick, bud, here's the car." He circled wide, obviously trying not to surprise the other man. Sam and Torrie gasped at the state Nick seemed to be in. Colby grabbed the suitcase from Nick and tried to turn him towards the car. "Dude, you walked right passed the car." The couples couldn't hear what Nick said, but they saw Colby drop the suitcase and try to keep Nick upright. Jon and Joe ran to help him. "Dammit, Nick, you've got to hold it together!"

Jon, Joe, and Colby listened to Nick cry in the parking lot. "Sh-she m-m-misses me. She can't s-say w-where sh-she is. I-I-I h-h-hate this sh-sh*t. I-I-I m-m-miss her! Wh-why c-c-can't we win?"

Jon shook his head. He grabbed Nick's shoulders. "Yes, it sucks. Her job is dangerous. You didn't break down like this before and this time you know she loves you. That has to make it better, yes? She's going to do everything possible to come home. You have to have faith. Man up, get in the car and sleep for the ride. When you get to the hotel, take some time to come up with something sickening sweet to send to her. Make her feel loved. And stop being such a d*mn wet mop!" He gave Nick another good shake.

Colby touched Nick's shoulder. "Jon's a direct kinda guy. He is also a great friend, loyal to a fault." Colby swallowed hard. "I may have been a little less brutal but I agree with what he said. You need to man-up for your sake and Shannon's."

* * *

**_Elsewhere in the world…_**

Shannon walked into the mess tent running her fingers through her still-wet hair. The marine who had brought her the earlier bad news waved her over to his table. "You look a little better, ma'am. How are you feeling?"

"I have to admit that getting a few hours of shut-eye felt good. I feel guilty about it, though." she admitted.

A second marine spoke up. "That's common. You have to battle those feelings, ma'am."

With a heavy sigh, Shannon took a bite of her breakfast before continuing. "I am familiar with the symptoms of survivor's guilt. This is a combination of that and feeling overwhelmed by the fact that they just keep coming. No matter what we do, no matter how many warning lists I make, they just keep coming. You try to stop them but people keep dying."

Both marines held up their hands. A third sat down beside Shannon. "You keep doing what you are doing. We will keep hunting the bad guys. What we don't know is how many people we save when we catch those that are responsible. Working together, we save lives. Yes, we lose some in the process and we mourn them but we keep doing this for the ones that we've stopped and the future attacks that we've thwarted. You have to focus on that."

The first marine that talked to Shannon said, "Like I told you, you have a skill set that we don't have. As a linguistic code breaker you do things and see things that my men and I could never put together. You've got to focus on those skills and keep doing them so we can do what we do." Shannon took another bite and stood up. Nodding to the men, she headed back to her work room. Time to suck it up and make those lists. She could get the highly-likely targets categorized for these marines.

* * *

**…****a little over a month later…**

"I can't believe that Shannon will be coming home soon!" Nick was bouncing with excitement. "Seeing her in person will be so much better than e-mailing. Skype has helped, when she was able, but finally, here, in person!"

"Are you sure you want everybody here when she gets home?" Jon asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Don't be such a jerk!" Isabelle said with a smack to the back of his head.

"Don't be such an arse." Stephen agreed.

"He can't help it" Colby laughed.

"Be nice!" Sam hollered.

Nick looked at all of their friends crowded into the small apartment, decorating and cleaning. "Absolutely. Shannon and I have both been miserable. We need time with all of you to celebrate life, love, and friendship. We need you all."

Kay emerged from the hallway. "I found extra blankets. She's got lots of decorative pillows all around."

Torrie stowed the vacuum before chiming in, "Adam's bringing air mattresses so he can crash the party. No one minds the Rose Bud, do ya?"

Joe muttered, "I might kill the Rose Bud, but he can join the party. Maybe no one can pin it on me that way."

Torrie wrapped her arms around his neck. "He's my friend. No maiming the Bud."

A heavy knock at the door brought the room to a stand-still. Claudio opened the door slowly. "Hey, we were just…" he trailed off as he realized something was wrong.

The normally happy and jovial man quietly walked into the room and sat the air mattresses on the floor. He walked over to Nick and asked him quietly, "Do you know how Shannon was flying?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was she flying military? Commercial? Do you know her flight number?"

"You are freaking me out, man." Nick muttered. Other people in the room began checking their phones. It didn't take long for them to see…

Adam asked again. "Just answer the question. How was Shannon flying home?"

Sam answered. "She always flies home on a commercial flight. We don't know where she was stationed and we haven't heard from her in a few hours. We just don't know."

Nick looked around the room at the somber faces of his friends. "Don't know what?"

Adam pushed him into the middle of the room so everyone could encircle him. Joe shoved a footstool underneath him and knelt at his feet. "Nick…" Jon grabbed Nick's shoulders. Joe started again. "Nick…" Colby grabbed Joe's shoulders. "A plane was shot down…"

"No. No."

Colby said, "We don't know. It's a plane. She could walk through that door."

Sarah said, "She could be working the case."

Nick began to sway. "No. No. No."

"We just have to wait and see, Nick." Jon said softly.

"We ah hea fo ya." Stephen quietly assured his friend.

Nick sat quietly and cried.

Kay turned on the television. This is what she did for a living. This was her wheelhouse. MH17 was shot down. If her friend was on that plane, she would identify who was responsible and call in every favor she was owed.

* * *

_I know you were anxiously waiting for this update. I hope it was worth the wait._


	30. It's Too Bad We're Holding Our Breath

_Thanks to all of you who are still here with this story! I hope you aren't disappointed with this chapter. Grab your tissues and hang on, things are about to get very bumpy..._

* * *

**_in Shannon's apartment _**

Joe and Jon grasped Nick underneath his arms and hefted him up off of the footstool. "Come on, bud. We aren't going to sit on the floor" one of them muttered as them guided him over to the sofa. Isabelle and Sarah piled the folded blankets and pillows along the back to provide extra support. Sam and Adam worked together to move the coffee table out of the way while Kay pulled the footstool in front of the television. Colby rummaged through Shannon's desk snatching the first writing implements and paper that he found. He sat cross-legged on the floor next to Kay, handing her a pencil and paper. While she mumbled to herself, he noted what she said on his own paper.

"What yeh ken?" Stephen's brogue was heavier as his worry shown through. He knelt beside Colby and stared at the screen in horror.

Colby shook his head wordlessly. Kay's hand trembled as she listened to something that an eyewitness said and scribbled down a note. Nick whimpered on the sofa, sandwiched between Sam and Torrie. Jon and Joe sat beside their girlfriends, hugging them as they comforted the worried man. Sarah sat at Nick's feet, caressing his knees. Claudio sat beside Kay, speaking nearly as many languages as she knew. He keyed in on something he heard in the background of a news segment, causing him to grasp Kay's ankle.

Isabelle sank to the floor beside Stephen and tearfully whispered, "What is it?" He just shook his head.

Adam was at a loss. He wasn't really a part of this group but they had let him come along, fitting him in and extending their hands in friendship. He had buddies to work-out with, people who checked in on him when his head had gotten busted open, and the knowledge that there were people that cared about him out there in the world. It was something that was rare and treasured. Now he stood in the living room of an apartment wondering if the owner was alive or dead. He wondered if this group of friends was about to endure the worst possible pain that anyone could experience. He wondered how he could keep one of his friends from splintering apart.

* * *

After Adam called Paul and Stephanie to let them know the turmoil that the close-knit group was coping with, everyone simply sat as stared at the media coverage. The hours drug on. A murmur here or a bathroom break there were the only interruptions. Claudio was the one who thought to order a delivery of pizza which arrived around the time Shannon should have gotten home. No one felt like eating.

Isabelle was the quiet voice of reason. "We have to keep up our strength. Everyone has to eat one slice. It's not nutritious. It's not on anyone's diet plan. But every one of us is going to chew and swallow one slice so we don't make ourselves sick."

"Wise gil." Stephen threw his arm around her shoulder.

Once the ordered slice was forced down, the group continued their non-stop silent monitoring of the news coverage. Sam curled into Jon and whispered, "Something has to give soon."

Sarah popped up and began to pace the room. "Did you all know ever hear about the first time Shannon and Nick met? Or about the first time I met Jon?" Everyone looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Bear with me. We can't sit here and wallow." She twisted her fingers in front of her as she paced. "Shannon and I were returning from our trip with Sam and Torrie. It was late and we were checking into the hotel. Shannon recognized Nick right away and he was behind her in line with a hat on." Sarah groaned through a giggle. "I was so impatient and tired. Shannon was making a love connection and I was on the other side of the lobby dye… waiting to get to our room. I called her Mildred. I shouted for her to hurry up by yelling Mildred across the room. She was so mad at me!" Tears were streaming down Sarah's face.

Nick whispered, "I sent tickets to your room for Sarah and Mildred." Tears streaked his cheeks, too.

"She beat me with pillows that morning. It was so much fun." Sarah recollected.

Claudio joined in the reminiscing. "That was the night of The Name Game." Nick shook his head at the memory.

"What are you talking about?" Torrie asked.

Joe gave her a little squeeze. "Nick's concussion wasn't funny. He was so damn loopy! Dude finished his match and made it to the infirmary. They asked him the normal questions like 'What is your name' and he started singing the song 'The Name Game'."

"All through the back you could hear his singing. They couldn't shut him up." Jon said.

Adam nodded as his eyes met Stephen's. They both started singing:  
"Dolphy!  
Dolphy, Dolphy bo Bolphy Bonana fanna fo Folphy  
Fee fy mo Molphy, Dolphy!"

Nick looked at his friends. "I sang about Milly. I called Shannon 'Milly' that night. She stayed with me through all of that."

Sarah said, "She didn't realize she was already falling for you but the connection was already there."

Nick looked at Sarah. "I heard her talking to you all on that weird conference call thing that you did. The connection you have…"

"Doesn't compare to the one you two have." Sam said softly.

Jon cleared his throat. "I want to hear more about this story you have about me."

Sarah snickered. "Of course you do." Jon raised his eyebrows. Sarah snickered again and started to recount her version of the tale. "Shannon had gotten called back to be with Nick so I was watching the show from behind the announcers' table by myself. It was Old School Raw in Baltimore and so many of the Hall of Famers were there, the night was fabulous. Rowdy Roddy Piper had Piper's Pit… I loved it! Anyway, the last match of the night, Dean Ambrose gets laid out in the middle of the ring…"

"Oh, G*d!"

"I remember that!"

"Jake the Snake Roberts came out."

"He laid his snake, oh, rats! What's that snake's name?"

"Damien! It's a big white and yellow anaconda!"

"It's a python, you silly goose. An albino python. And it wouldn't hurt a fly."

"No, not a fly. Just frogs, rats, and mice. It will eat creatures small enough to fit in its mouth. Flies aren't filling enough."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Can we get back to the story? Yes, the lovely menace was laid out on my chest. Thanks for the reminder. Then what?"

Sarah laughed. "I was watching your expressions, Jon. Your face was turned in my direction so you can play the perturbed and irritated role all you want but I have pictures that show the truth. You had a _blast_ out there in that ring with Jake and Damien. You absolutely loved having that snake slither across you." The occupants of the room clapped and laughed at Jon getting called out by the observant woman. "Personally, I screamed like a banshee because I don't like snakes." The other women nodded, except for Sam who simply shrugged her shoulders. Sarah continued, "So then I see Dean crawl out of the ring and start heading towards me. He even made eye contact with me, so I knew that he was heading my way. Then I saw the tiny pieces of snake skin that were hanging off of his shirt. I shivered and wrinkled my nose, then I saw him laughing at me as he reached for my arm to pull me over the wall. He led me to the back and told me about Nick's injury and where Shannon was headed."

Claudio nearly rolled over in laughter. "That's when you literally ran into me! You were fleeing Dean Ambrose!"

"You got that right!"

Torrie jumped in. "When we did our conference call, we talked about sssssnakesssss."

"That wasn't funny!" Sarah defended herself.

"It wassssssn't?" Sam repeated.

"Shannon thought it was hiss-terical! She wassss laughing sssso hard she could hardly sssstand herssssself." Torrie laughed.

"Sssstop teassssing Sssssarah." Isabelle cried, tears of laughter starting to trickle down her face. "She doesssssn't like sssssnakesssss. They hissss…"

"Girlsssssss." Adam Rose chimed in. "Issss it too much to asssk that you sssstop teasssssing Ssssarah? She doessssn't like ssssnakesssss. Ssssso sssstop hissssing ssssso much."

"Yesssss, pleasssse. Yeh sssspray when yeh hisssssss ssssso much." Stephen added.

Nick looked around the room at all of his friends. "Thanks, everybody." The room got quiet. "This is what Shannon would want, all of us together. I can't thank you all enough for being here today. If you don't mind, I think I just want to go lay down in the bedroom for a little while." He stood up and made eye contact with each of them. "I'm not giving up hope until I hear something. I believe Shannon is still out there." He went into the bedroom and shut the door with a quiet _click_.

Claudio wrapped his arms around Sarah. "You had him distracted for a little while."

Joe corrected his friend. "All of us were thinking of happier times. Thanks, Sarah."

Adam and Jon started opening the air mattress boxes. There really wasn't anything else to do but inflate them and try to get comfortable. No one expected to sleep, but the very least they could do was lay quietly and give Nick some privacy.

Kay leaned forward and touched the television screen. "Damn thing is too small. Is this on DVR? Can it be rewound?"

Colby grabbed the remote. "What do you think you saw?"


	31. It's Too Bad the Info Highway is Clogged

**_in Shannon's apartment_**

Kay let out a frustrated breath. "Just go back a few seconds… Freeze it. D*mn I wish I could enlarge that image."

Colby repeated, "What do you think you saw?" Kay shook her head and moved closer to the frozen image.

"See if you can find this footage on a laptop. Someone has to have one here." Kay was muttering to herself again. "Remind me why I gave up my clearance. Damn thing would be so helpful right now. If I had my laptop or one password…" Colby heard her and tried not to take her words to heart as he walked away.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Colby whispered. "She saw something. I don't know what. Just let her be until she figures it out."

Sam grabbed his shoulders. "She is so into this, she didn't mean that. You know she…"

"I know. I can take it." he assured her. "It's okay."

Sam squeezed him. "No, it's not. Just remember that she's been right with you for this long, she's not going anywhere. Just keep being strong for her."

"Port in the storm. That's what we are for each other." Colby whispered as he walked away. "And this is one h*ll of a storm."

* * *

Nick lay curled in a ball on Shannon's bed. Memories of the nights he spent with her assailed him. He wrapped his arms around her pillow, burying his face in it so his friends couldn't hear his cries. Each time he drew in a breath, her scent filled his lungs. _How am I going to live without her? No, stop it! You cannot think that way. You have no idea what happened. Hold on to your faith, your belief. You cannot give up on her. Pick your head up and send her a message. You promised her you'd send something every day and you haven't sent anything today. Keep your promise. Be a man._ Nick wiped his eyes and sat up, reaching for his phone. To his shock and horror, the battery was dead. Slamming open the door, he raced through the apartment scrambling for his charger. "Where is it? Where is my charger? I need my charger. Oh, G*d… Oh, G*d. I need…" Everyone joined the race to find a charger, thrusting their cords at Nick. With shaking hands he plugged in his phone. "I need to message Shannon. I haven't today. The battery is dead. I don't know when."

Colby grabbed Nick around the neck. "You need to breathe and calm down. The phone is charging. You aren't alone. You will hear something soon." Nick stared into Colby's eyes. "Trust me, man. You WILL hear something soon."

"What do you know?" the broken man whispered.

"I know that you aren't alone. I know that your friends are with you. I know that Kay is busting her *ss to figure this out and I have faith in her."

"You know something else."

_DING!_

Nick snatched his phone. He had a message from Shannon. It said:

"I #m ^0t 0^ %h#% 91ane. I l0f3 u0V."

He held up the phone for everyone to see. "What does this mean? What was she saying? D*mmit!" Nick clutched the phone in his hand.

Claudio grabbed Nick's hand and pried the phone from his vise grip. "Let me look at the message. I will give it back to you." He took Colby's pad of paper and wrote down the message before handing the phone back to Nick. Leaving others to deal with the distraught man, Claudio and Adam went to work trying to decipher what the garbled message could possibly be saying.

* * *

So, loyal readers, what was her message?


	32. ItsTooBad Putting Together Puzzle Pieces

_For the record, I thought the story was complete with Shannon dying on the plane. All of the other couples had their happy endings since they were obviously together and functional in the apartment waiting for her to come home. You all can't expect everyone to have happily-ever-after, can you? Seriously? Sheesh. Demanding readers.  
If you don't believe me, ask NESSAANCALIME6913. I suggested the idea to her and she told me I was evil. *sigh* Now Shannon has to live. It's all 'Nessa's fault. :)_

_Kudos to all of you who figured out the garbled message Nick received. Nicely done. _

* * *

**_in Shannon's apartment _**

"D*mmit!" Nick clutched the phone in his hand. "What did she say? Is she telling me goodbye? Did she miss her flight? Did she get called in to work? What did she say?"

Claudio grabbed Nick's hand and pried the phone from his vise. "Let me look at the message. I will give it back to you." He took Colby's pad of paper and wrote down the message before handing the phone back to Nick. Leaving others to deal with the distraught man, Claudio and Adam went to work trying to decipher what the garbled message could possibly be saying.

* * *

**_ 14 hours earlier, somewhere over Europe _**

Shannon reclined in her seat, happy that she was finally headed back to the United States and home to Nick. Spending long, hard days categorizing targets that she felt terrorists might attack were taking their toll on her mentally and physically. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do this job. Yes, she was good at it – better than good, she was one of the top two in the world. Kay walked away and didn't look back. Was it time for her to walk away? To live life for herself and for Nick? There would always be another target, another terrorist, another victim. There wouldn't always be another life for her and Nick to live together.

The seatbelt sign lit up, surprising her. The plane banked hard to the left and began a rapid decent. Knowing that this was not in the flight plan, Shannon pulled out her phone and checked her secure network. "Oh, no." She sent a quick message to Nick. "I am not on that plane. I love you." She stowed her phone and held on as the plane touched down and taxied to a remote airport, making many passengers unhappy. As they grumbled, Shannon began gathering her things assuming that she would be fetched quickly. It didn't take long for the sound of chopper blades to fill the air. The cabin door opened and she stood up. A young man in sand-colored camouflage headed for her. "Can I get my luggage from the cargo hold?"

"No time." he growled.

"This isn't going to be a short-term task. I need my supplies." Shannon explained. "I'm not talking make-up and dresses."

"Open the hatch." he ordered. Within five minutes her belongings were located and removed from the plane. Shannon was hustled onto the huge military bird and she was headed off to deal with a new crisis in a new land.

* * *

**_near the Ukrainian border _**

Shannon stood at the edge of the field, shaken by what she saw. _What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to help? There is so much death, so much destruction. _She picked her way around a burning piece of metal. A farmer with a rickety cart pulled by a horse wheeled up. He kicked the large chunk until it fell over, the dirt smothering the fire. Then he tossed the piece into his wagon, shook his finger at Shannon and muttered at her and then drove away. _Don't these people realize…_ She knew they didn't. She listened to them talk to one another, not knowing that she could understand them. She listened to them talk about the military men who had fired the rocket that had brought down the plane, how they had moved the rocket, where they had moved the rocket, and how the people were being rewarded for airplane parts that they returned. Shannon was disgusted.

"We can only observe. We cannot touch." she was reminded by a colleague.

"I have seen enough." she replied.

"Just a little more. I think there is a wing part over there. Let's check that out and then return." Agreeing silently, Shannon walked on. The wing had impaled the roof of a house. There was a young woman wailing outside. Shannon stood back and listened to her before turning and walking away. Someone had a camera near her face. She held her hand up. This wasn't an emotion she cared to share with the world.

* * *

**_in Shannon's apartment _**

"Look! Look! See! Right there! THAT IS SHANNON!" Colby pointed excitedly at the screen. Kay nodded tiredly.

"Yes, Colbs. She's been on there several times." He looked at her like she was crazy. Her eyes were swimming with tears. "I know you don't get it. Just trust me, this is not a good thing." Colby dropped on the floor beside her. Kay slid from her footstool to lean against her boyfriend. "This is all so wrong."

Colby scooped up Kay's phone and handed it to her. "Call her."

* * *

**_ near the Ukrainian border _**

Shannon walked along the path that led to the encampment she was supposed to stay in. She passed a burned-out shell of a farm wagon that contained the remnants of an airplane part. "I guess the fire wasn't completely out." she murmured. As she got closer to the camp, her phone rang. Caller ID said 'Kay'. Blinking tiredly, Shannon answered.

"You have no idea how worried we've been." Kay greeted.

"I sent a message to Nick."

"His phone had died. We are all here with him, watching the news."

"Mmm." Knowing that Kay no longer had a secured line, a non-committal answer was Shannon's best route.

"I'd love to chat when you have the chance. We've used our time to reminisce." Shannon knew that Kay was letting her know that she had some important information to share and that she needed that secure line.

"As much as I'd love to, this is going to tie me up for a while. I'm going to miss you all." Shannon hung up and used her secure line to call in to her U.S. stateside office. "I need you to deliver a full set-up and phone to my home address. Make sure everything is secure. And it needs to be there within the hour. Preferably within the next ten minutes." Then she headed into camp and flopped on her newly-assigned cot.

* * *

**_in Shannon's apartment _**

"What is all this stuff? How did Shannon… What is Kay going to…" Questions were stuttered and stammered from all corners of the apartment as oodles of devices were set up around the dining room.

"Don't ask." Colby said.

Nick held up his hand. "This is what they do. We don't ask."

The people who had delivered and set up everything were gone. Kay was sitting in front of the bank of monitors, typing feverishly. She dialed a number. "Have you had any luck? Okay. I am going to look into something I heard on the television. While I am doing that I'll put Nick on." She turned to look at Nick. "Brief and to the point. She needs to focus." Kay handed him the phone.

"Shannon…"

"I am sorry you didn't get the message and worried." she said softly.

"I love you."

She gulped. "Nick, I love you, too. When I get home, we have a lot to talk about."

"I worry about you." he admitted. Kay whirled and glared at him, shaking her finger back and forth as if to say _none of that_.

"I want to talk about this when I get back, Nick. Not now. Not on the phone." He could tell she was getting emotional. "I just want to know…"

Nick sucked in a deep breath. "Shhh. When you get back. Take a deep breath and listen to me, Milly." He heard her giggle. "There's my girl. I want you to think back over everything we've been through, all of the difficulties we've faced and overcome. I want you to know that I am so glad that I have you in my life. My life is so much better with you in it. I am going to make you a promise; I promise that we are going to have a heart-to-heart when you get back. Dating has been fine up until now but I want to make a relationship change, Shannon. I need that change."

He could hear her sniffling through the phone. "When we are face-to-face, Dolphy. You'd better make an honest woman out of me."

"Every day for the rest of your life." he promised.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Time's up. Give me the phone." Kay said. Nick glared at her as he handed her the phone. "Hey, Shan, glad you and Nick had time to talk. So, while I was watching the news I heard…" The two women talked about languages and heat signatures before Kay told Shannon that they needed to check a particular road for the surface-to-air rocket. Shannon hung up and went to send some military forces off to scour the area for that device.

Joe began to clap his hands. Colby joined in. "What's going on?" Jon asked.

"You are looking at a newly engaged man." Colby explained with a huge smile.

"Not exactly." Nick denied.

"Yes, exactly." Joe argued. "'Every day for the rest of your life.' And that whole heart-warming speech you gave her? Yep, you are engaged."

Nick rubbed his hands together. "I'll give you those points. I haven't _actually_ proposed. We agreed that we need to talk face-to-face when she gets back. She said she does want me to make an honest woman out of her."

* * *

I am posting as I can ladies. There is a gigantic hole in my living room wall courtesy of a leaky air conditioner. Long story short, my entire living room and hallway is getting a rapid-fire make-over. There are four people that live in this house; three males and one female. How many do you think are stripping, papering, and painting? Yeah, and I'm the moody one. It's a good thing the chapters ARE written or there would be a lot of violence and death right now! At any rate, when I can log on, I will post. Priorities...


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